


It Doesn't End in Blood

by Samiec27



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Eating Disorders, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, Foreign Language, Identity Issues, Multi, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Problems, Rape, Suicide, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 04:52:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15598698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samiec27/pseuds/Samiec27
Summary: Our characters are the main characters. The Winchester are secondary but still very prominent. This is a story of our characters fucked up lives.





	It Doesn't End in Blood

**Episode One**

I was finally getting ready to start cleaning up, when I saw a slumped figure headed for the Bar’s entrance. Great, I had just finished wiping out each glass until they sparkled, and now I was going to have to dirty one. Normally I didn’t mind staying late, but today had just been long and I was tired. There had also been an exceptionally large amount of assholes ogling my butt this evening, so I was just done with men in general.   
I did my best to suppress my irritation as I heard the bell above the door clang loudly. Pasting on my best fake smile I turned to face him, unintentionally letting out a small gasp of surprise.  
“Holy shit, Sam? Sam Winchester is that you?”   
The man seemed startled to have been recognized and I could tell by his face that he had no idea who I was. I tried not to sigh out loud; I always recognized the cute ones but they never seemed to remember me.   
He was probably married by now anyway. I knew he had a girlfriend while we had been in school. Jessica Moore, I remembered her funeral. There was a fire, faulty wiring if you believed the rumors, though that's what the fire department always chalked it up to when they didn't really have a clue what had happened. Nobody had seen or heard from Sam since.   
I shook my head trying to clear it, realizing that I had been zoned out in my own thoughts for too long and Sam still had no clue who I was, so I was going to have to help him out.  
“Anna,” I explained as I extended my hand to him. “Anna Mason, you were in my English class at Stanford.”  
“Oh yeah right.” He answered, shaking my hand while running his fingers through long brown hair that reached his shoulders. If I remembered right it hadn't been that long when I had known him.   
He also seemed distracted barely able to keep up with the small talk. He definitely looked like he needed alcohol.   
“So what can I get for you tonight?” I asked turning to face the array of ingredients behind me. I decided to return back to business mode. If there was anything I learned from working in a bar it’s that you didn't ask anything that wasn't strictly business related. You could make small talk but if you wanted to learn anything you waited for the the drinks to work their magic.   
So right now he didn't want to talk and I was going to get further by doing my job then I would by asking him why he looked so very sad. That's another thing I learned from the two short months of working bartender. I was pretty good at reading people and this man was not the smiling puppy I once saw strolling through campus hallways. This man looked like he had literally been through hell.  
After several seconds of waiting I turned back to face him, preparing to ask the question again. I decided against this after looking at him. He was perched on a barstool, head lying across his hands staring at the doorway window. I normally didn't see guests in this position until at least their third drink.   
“Ok, then, I'm just going to whip you up something simple. I turned back to survey the ingredients, deciding on just a gin and tonic. They were quickest and the easiest to clean up and, if I was lucky, I could still make it out of here by 2:15.   
I couldn't help but feel satisfied at how quick I finished as I placed the drink before him. I was new and had no previous experience. I only scraped this job after helping the boss’s daughter out of a tight spot with her boyfriend, who wasn't what she thought he was.  
Yes I said what. His face still turned up in my nightmares. Don't go there I muttered to myself as i took a deep breath.  
I had just turned away again to start putting things away when I heard Sam speaking.  
“I'm sorry, what did you say?” I asked, once again turning to face him. ‘So much back and forth,’ I thought, annoyed at myself for acting like a twelve year old spinning in an office chair.  
“I remember you,” he responded slowly as if the words were sticking to his tongue. “Weren’t we partners for something?”  
“Edgar Allan poe; What is fact and fiction? How did his work shape the world of literature and why do we still care about him today?” I answered in a voice more suited for the weather channel then late night drinks with a cute sad man.  
There it was a flicker of what had once been a smile. I wondered again, ‘What had happened to him?’  
“So?” I asked because now the silence was getting awkward, “What have you been up too?” I know stupid, and basic, but really; What else do you say to a man you haven't seen in over five years? I didn't really expect an answer so I was a bit surprised when he spoke.  
“Actually,” he answered, “I was in a relationship.”  
‘Was,’ I wondered because it's my job to be nosy and I knew the more he kept talking the more information I would get. I loved knowing things about people. We all have our stories. Perhaps this is why I was drawn to a bar.   
There is always something to be known. It's so satisfying to make someone's usual, or to be able to tell when they're having a bad day and be the force that helped to make it better. Yes, bars sell the poison but you might also be able to find the antidote if you're willing to look.  
“So what's the trouble?”I continued noticing he had finished his drink. “Old boyfriend back in town?” I asked as I refilled the glass. I meant this as a joke, but I could tell by Sam’s face, my guess had hit home.  
“I'm sorry,” I said quickly “It's none of my business.”  
“No, it's okay,” Sam quickly interrupted “I guess I've just been in my own head for so long...it's been a while since I've just talked.”   
“So your people skills are a little rusty.” I understood. I stopped talking as I watched his mouth dip downwards. “What did I say now?”   
Sam, too, must have been good at reading people's thoughts, “Sorry you just reminded me of a friend, who I haven't seen in a while.”  
I wasn't going to push him. I had lost friends too. I knew that it was likely he wouldn't see this friend again.  
I put my hand across his. His hands were freezing. “I'm sorry,” I said. Trying to let him know I really did get it this time.   
“Yeah,” he answered, “me too.” We just sat there for a few minutes longer. It wasn't until he had once again emptied his glass that he spoke again.   
“I should really get going, but thank you for the company,” my hand was still across his. I blushed as I hurriedly pulled it away. He stood and began reaching for his wallet  
“And the drinks!” I answered hurriedly, because I forgot how to form proper sentences. “I mean tonight the drinks are on me. If we ever see each other again you owe me coffee.” I continued to babble. Sam just nodded and started towards the door.  
“Wait, Sam.” I called out. He stopped and turned back to face me. “I thought you should know there is a reason for everything even endings, and love is always worth it.”  
I don't know why I decided to get philosophical, but I knew my words were true and he needed to hear them. I knew they worked when I finally saw his smile, a real smile.   
“Thank you.” He replied and though he never did reach his full height he stood a little taller as he made his way out the door.   
By the time I finally finished cleaning and putting things away it was 3 A.M. but it was worth it and I hoped that Sam's path and mine would cross again. Who doesn't want free coffee?  
****  
Just five more hours. Five more hours to the next town. Five more hours, then you can rest.   
I would repeat this for the next five hours. Five. I hated that number for reasons no one else will ever understand. Five meant pain, suffering, chaos. Five, meant that things were going to change. Five, meant a destiny that I didn’t want.  
My vision blurred in and out. Pain was all I felt. Well...pain and anger. The only thing that kept me going was the burning fire of anger and hatred inside me. If I was normal, I would have killed myself by now. But I wasn’t. And there was no rest for me after death, just more pain. Pain was an eternity for me. Pain.  
The dirt caked wrappings on my feet loosened, forcing me to stop and retie them. Crusting scabs that stuck to the wrappings came with them. Blood spurted a fresh and red swamped my sight. Pain slithered from the gashes that consumed my feet, ankles, and calves to my stomach. I spun my head away from my body and splashes of dark, bloody bile expelled itself from my raw throat and mouth. Spasms shook through me as I continued to wrench up the burning liquid. Finally, when the convulsions and vomiting had stopped, I looked to my surroundings. Hills of course, dry desert continued until, in the far distance, lush green foliage began. Fits of hysterical, sobbing laughter overwhelmed me. My vision was right! Foliage meant trees. Trees meant water. Water meant life. Pushing myself back to my feet, where bones popped, cracked, and stabbed, I began running again. The ground soon blurred slightly beneath me as I picked up speed.   
‘Soon,’ I thought, ‘Soon there will be shade. Then I will find a river to wash in. Then to San Marcos, Texas where there is food, clean water, and rest.’  
****  
I awoke to bright sunlight streaming through my open window. I must have forgotten to close the blinds last night after I got home. I blinked, trying to clear the liquid from my overly sensitive eyes. It was was one of those weird mornings where you just wake up to nothing. Your body just knows it supposed to be awake.   
Not much more time had passed when I heard insistent pounding on my door. I sat up quickly pulling the sheets all the way up to my neck. It was a move of pure instinct. I was fully clothed. Though my wardrobe was more relaxed, I had learned the hard way to always be ready to move. I think that’s also why I tried to be more awake and alert at night.  
The pounding at my door become louder and more frantic distracting me from these thoughts. I scurried from the bed and grabbed my glasses, shoving them hurriedly onto my face. My hand then gripped the small silver dagger I always had on my bedside table. Sadly it had served its purpose more than once.   
I crept to the door quietly unlocking the chain. I then took a breath and opened the door dagger out in case I needed to gut somebody.   
“Hey whoa Anna, it’s me.”   
“Oh my God Jesse, come on, come in.” I took a step back, allowing him to enter my small apartment.   
I watched his eyes scan the room, cautiously, standing as far away from me as possible.  
“So do you always greet people with a knife at their stomach.”   
“It's a recent acquisition.” I answered as I closed the door. “ I don't normally get a lot of casual visitors.”  
“I wonder why.” He tried to joke, but I could see that he was still uncomfortable.   
“I assure you that if I was going to use this,” I held the dagger up for him to see, “well then, we wouldn't be standing here having this conversation.”  
“Good to know,” he replied nearly choking on his words.   
“Why don't you have a seat? I was going to make a pot of coffee. Would you like some?” I asked, walking backwards towards the kitchen so that my eyes never left his face. I still had the dagger in my hands.   
‘Damn,’ I thought to myself still watching him as I made it to the first cabinet next to my sink where I kept the coffee. ‘When did trusting people become so difficult?’   
He was scratching his head looking at my ugly beige carpet as if his life depended on it, which considering my actions I guess he might of thought that it did.  
Sighing, I slowly sat the dagger on the black granite countertop. Jesse looked up at the slight noise, and watched me as I turned around to face my coffee maker. I heard his footsteps on my creaky floor as he made his way to the couch and sank into the white leather cushions. There was silence until I had finished brewing two cups of coffee. It wasn't until I had taken a seat next to him on the couch, and given him a cup that he spoke again.   
“So, I take it you don't trust me anymore?” He asked taking a small sip before setting the mug on the arm of the couch behind him.  
“Don't take it personally, I don't trust anybody.” I answered back, my voice sounding tired and quiet.   
“You even talk quieter. I remember a time when…”  
“Jesse, why are you here?” I quickly cut him off. “You sounded quite intent on breaking down my door.”  
I was fully aware of the changes in myself. Some of them were even beneficial. It didn't really surprise me that Jesse did not understand that becoming more serious and cautious was not a bad thing. The lack of these qualities had gotten him in trouble more times then I had digits for.  
“Well... it's kind of a funny story, well I guess not funny because somebody died but do I look capable of murder to you? and..”  
“Wait, hold up, your being accused of murder?” I asked my voice getting higher in pitch with every word.   
Jesse laughed, “ I forgot your voice did that when you got nervous.”   
“Shut up or I will retrieve my dagger. Start from the beginning.” I said my teeth clenched to keep my voice from, once again, rising in pitch.  
“Okay,” he said raising his hands to each side of his face. “So early this morning I received a call from Darek.”  
I nodded, Derek was the opening supervisor at Lauren's Grill and Cafe. His mom, Lauren, for whom the cafe was named, currently owned the joint.  
I had begged Darrek to give Jesse a job the last time he got out of jail. It’s truly amazing what the promise of free alcohol will do. As far as I knew Jesse had done well, he had even recently been promoted to assistant Manager.  
“He told me,” Jesse continued, “that when he went into the walk-in this morning he tripped over what he thought was just a box of lettuce but turned out to be the corpse of his grandfather Andrew Phillips.”  
“Oh my God, Poor Derek,” I muttered sympathetically.  
“Yeah, he was pretty hysterical on the phone. But he did manage to warn me that the police were enroute to my place. I passed two squad cars on my way here.”  
“So that probably means Derek doesn't suspect you of murdering his grandfather?” I questioned just to make certain.   
“Derek doesn't, but I guess his father isn't as certain. I guess I'm the only employee with a criminal record.”   
At these words I could hear Jesse's voice crack his words becoming choked as if he was attempting hide sobs. “I know that I've hurt people Anna, but I will would never kill anyone” Jesse had to stop talking so he could get control of his voice.  
“Fuck, that is so messed up.” I answered, causing Jesse to look up in surprise.  
“Since when do you cuss?” His surprise at least strengthened his voice, which made it easier to elbow him in the gut and tell him to shut it. It wasn't in my nature to hear or see other people's pain. Especially my friends.  
I had only seen Jesse truly get emotional a few times in his life: When his brother had attempted suicide, When his fifteen year old sister had lost her fight with leukemia, and When he had punched his boyfriend, Michael, so hard he broke his nose. He watched in silence as the other sick bastards finished beating him until mercifully they were caught.   
I wasn't supposed to be there that day and Jesse would never know that I was the one who called the police. But I also learned one of my most valuable lessons. Sometimes humans and monsters were not so different.  
Michael ended up in the hospital with a concussion and two broken ribs. I knew that Jesse went to see him, but it wasn't very long after this incident that Jesse decided to be homeschooled and Michael moved after he was released from the hospital.   
Now it looked as if I didn't once again step in, Jesse would be rotting for life in a dingy dark dudgeon convicted for someone else's crime, ‘Or it could be something,’ I thought dryly.  
I knew the things I fought had a really sick sense of humor. I had known Jesse forever. He was like my brother. He knew when I got my first period, that my mom was a bitch, and he had even arranged my first kiss. But I still tried to keep him as far away from me as possible, so he didn't know the most important thing about me. I didn’t want to get him too involved because once they find you; they will never leave you alone.  
I gave my head a small shake, even though memory lane had been fascinating, right now I needed to snap out of my own head, Jesse was talking again and I had already missed a good portion of the first sentence.   
“...that I was the last person to see Andrew alive. He came in last night, like he does every Friday and ordered his usual, pasticcio ice cream with three cherries. We were busy, so he decided to make it himself. Being the father of the owner has those perks. He came out of the freezer to ask me where we stored the cherries. I told him we kept them back in the walk-in and I swear I didn't see him for the rest of my shift. I was off at 7 yesterday. I had assumed that Andrew had made his desert and probably left through the back. He likes to sit with his daughter in her office. So I didn’t even think about it.”  
“Was he acting strange when he asked you about the cherries?” I inquired.  
“Actually, I thought it was kind of funny he asked about the cherries at all. He knows the cafe like the back of his hand. I chalked up to old person syndrome.” Jesse explained, trying to cope by making a joke.   
We both knew it wasn't funny. Jesse had been out of work for nearly a year before we had managed to get him this job. He was trying to turn his life around and I'd be damned if I let him live out the rest of it in a jail cell.   
I sighed rubbing my temples with the tips of my fingertips. I would have to start blind. My overly cautious mind was about to be overrun by panic. I think it was own fault I rarely let myself go in so unprepared. I felt sometimes, that I was was more useful when it it came to research and documentation. I use to have a partner and she was the one to do most of the dirty work. I quickly shut down this train of thought ‘I didn’t need her on my mind right now.’  
“So, I guess you can have my couch until we get this sorted out.” I said more to get myself back on track then because it needed to be said. “I'm sure by now you are familiar with the rules of house arrest?”  
Jesse let out unnecessary snort, “I recently slammed my head into a cell wall you might want to run them by me again chief.”   
“I have a pair of handcuffs if that would help you feel more at home,” I snarked. Jesse was scared so he was being a smartass. I knew he had no desire to be anywhere near the police at this time.   
“I am going to change and then, I'm going to go get us some food. Trash my apartment and I will gut you. Any questions?”  
“I think you covered the key points.” Jesse stated calmly, but I could see the nervousness as he turned his head from the dagger, still perched on kitchen counter, back to me.  
“My bathroom is to the left of my bedroom. If you need to shower I keep towels under the sink. I'll run by your apartment to pick you up some clothes. If you get bored the bookshelf is right over here next to the fireplace.”  
Most of my selection consisted of titles like Ashes to Angels, Held Hostage by the Devil, or Coast to Coast Ghosts I had to laugh at myself outloud. Let's just say after finding out these crazy creatures were real, I panicked. I found it even more frustrating when I realized that most these texts were bullshit. My own notebooks we're far more accurate. Maybe if God let me retire, I would write my own book.  
“You do remember how to read right?” I questioned just to lighten the mood before I headed off to do who knew what to who knew who.  
“I’m sure I can manage,” Jesse answered smiling for the first time that morning. He walked over to to the shelf browsing through the collection. I watched his fingers graze respectfully over each title before he made his selection. “This has zombies in it, I'll be good.” He declared as he took it back to couch with him.  
With Jesse settled I decide to prepare myself. I walked into my small bedroom. Standing between my bed and my closet, I spread my legs as far into middle spit position as I could without falling over. As I took a deep breath I took my arms from my ankles to above my head, breathing out as I made way back down to the floor. I normally would prefer music but this had to be quick today. After following this pattern three times more, I slipped on a faded pair of blue skinny jeans, and a long sleeve Cobalt blue top. I decided against running a brush through my tangled curls and instead covered the mess with a silver gray beanie.   
Walking back into the living room, I laced up a pair of old sturdy brown boots that had once belonged to my mother. I then walked over to the counter where I retrieved my silver dagger and placed it in my boot. Silver could deal with a number of evil creatures but it wouldn't hurt to bring the iron one as well, so I walked back to my bedroom and grabbed my iron dagger and put it in my other boot.  
Lastly, I walked to my hall closet to retrieve a sweatshirt that was the same color as my top along with my Hunter's bag consisting of my notebooks, laptop, dried food, salt, at least four water bottles, and an FBI navy blue windbreaker (which I had made by a friend who owned a graphics shop). She was persuaded to keep quiet and not ask questions after I helped her sister escape.  
I also had a pistol with a case of silver and iron bullets that I only used in dire circumstances; I hated guns. The thought of pulling that trigger cased major panic to roll my stomach with waves of nausea, so I tried to stick to daggers. No matter how often I tried to get out of the life, I had never been brave enough to stop packing this bag.   
I closed the closet feeling a little better now that I was at least a little prepared. I walked over to Jesse giving him a quick hug.   
“I'll try to be back as soon as possible. Be good.” I warned, my voice wavering between joking and deadly serious.  
“You have to go and spoil all my fun,” he answered hugging me back.  
As I shouldered my bag and started out the door, I heard Jesse call something after me.   
“What?” I asked turning back to face him.  
“Thank you, for all of this.”  
“Your welcome,” I managed to choke back unsure of why my tongue had decided to stick to my teeth, which made it nearly impossible to form words.   
“I love you,” I whispered knowing there was no way he could hear me, as I finally managed to make my way out of my apartment. I made sure to carefully lock my door behind me. Thinking back I should have said it louder.  
****  
Students bustled about as they headed off to lunch. Being semi clean and with a stolen wind breaker, I looked more disheveled and slightly homeless rather than a walking dead. As I slipped through the crowd, I heard the peel of scornful laughter. I followed the sound to a campus green where a girl of about twenty in age fled from a group of girls with rich clothing and manicures. The girl had pixie cut hair, light brown with streaks of emerald green. Her face was bent towards the ground in order to hide her tear streaked face from the group of girls trailing after her shouting insults. She clutched a textbook to her chest as if to protect herself from the hurtful words that were being shot at her like bullets.  
“......tried to ask Leya out! How dumb are you, bitch? Your lesbo fat ass is gonna rot in hell!” The chocolate milk skinned, long black haired, obvious leader of the group, cursed.  
Another with stick straight bright red hair fake whispered, “I hear that all lesbo’s think about is fucking other women!”  
“Oh my God! Did you think about trying to get in our pants, you ugly little slut! How disgusting are you?!” (Black hair.)  
“She probably thinks about it all the time, M!” (Choppy haired brunette) responded to black hair (M).  
“Shut up, Veronica! No one cares that you’re lesbo because your father is filthy rich from his oil mining, but flaunting it around will make you just as fucked up as this fat ass!” M responded.  
Veronica looked as if she had been slapped and Red Head gasped, “Maria!”  
Maria’s face broke into a fake apologetic frown, “Oh My God! I didn’t mean that sweetie. I’m so sorry! I’m just so stressed lately. That new manicure on vogue won’t come out here until next week! And it doesn’t help that we have to share air with lesbo sluts like this scumbag! Everywhere I go, your infected being is there! Why don’t you stop following us, bitch!”  
I flinched as the word bitch was nearly screamed in my ear, as Maria’s purse slipped into my sleeve. Continuing to weave through the crowd, I unclasped the purse and rifled through it to find…. two thousand dollars in cash!  
‘Damn! This stuck up bitch is full of herself!’ I thought. ‘But this should buy me fresh clothes and shoes, food, and a motel room for one night. I can save what’s left for supplies.’  
My stomach responded with a gurgled howl as the thought of food crossed my mind.   
‘But I think I should eat first… I’ll get clothes after.’  
Following the crowd on the main street, I heard whispers of bodies being found in a walk in freezer. Many spoke of these deceased with teary, passionate voices, telling me that these people were of important families in town and well known and loved. The doors to the freezer’s had no locks but the police believed that the individuals were struggling to get out.  
‘Interesting.’ I thought, ‘maybe….’ A ripple of pain and hunger clawed through my abdomen, cramping my muscles, ending the thought where it stood. ‘Fine,’ I mentally told my growling body.   
As we continued down the street, I heard more snippets:  
‘....business is still open.’  
‘....but they weren’t even employee’s, some of them…’  
‘Course it’s open...only good food joint in this god awful town…’  
‘How’d they get back there?’  
‘....employee’s not notice customer’s walking back…’  
‘....only the older families….’  
‘.....heard there was blood on the door from them trying to claw out….bunch of shit, if you ask me….’  
My stomach seemed to growl back, “None of your business! Food! Now!”  
Finally, I saw the joint that caused such an uproar. The building was older looking, with faded brick work, but a cheery sign hung above the door stating, “Lauren’s Cafe and Grill” Along the faded brick, I could just make out worn, painted letters. From what I could manage to make out, the building was most likely a butcher’s shop. However, the wording was too faded for even my eyes to read; I could not distinguish the year the building was created.  
I stepped into the shop behind a curly haired young man who waved to his friends as he entered. The smell of grilled meat, baking bread, spices, and warm food hijacked my senses and I had to pause to actually breathe it into my mouth. Food, which had been denied to me for five years, was finally within reach. The pains of starvation that dragged at my bones and had caused my stomach to eject its acid in retaliation, was going to be quenched. Dehydration, which cause my mouth, throat, and tongue to stick and scrap at every breathe, would end. I stumbled to a table in the corner of the room, from which I could see every exit and every person with in the joint, employees behind the counter’s, and customers going in and out. As the welcoming feeling of the soft leather seat cushioned me, I heard a screech of outrage from the other end of the dinning sector. Maria, who had apparently entered before me, as I had to backtrack to get to the restaurant after flinching her purse, could be heard frantically screaming at everyone near her trying to find who had stolen her wallet. My mouth curved with satisfaction, ever so slightly. The muscle in my jaw twitched at the unfamiliar movement causing my smirk to rapidly shift away.  
A perky young waitress in her early twenties bounced over to my table. ‘God, no!’ I thought.  
“What can I getcha, miss? Do you have money for it?” Her face looked concerned.  
I realised I must look as starved as I felt, my eyes probably looked hungry and ferile, like a trapped animal ready to pounce on whatever was placed in front of me. I nodded to answer her question about the money and pulled out one twenty and a ten. Smiling, the waitress gave me a menu and waited for me to order. I pointed to the coffee and water. When she asked me about creamer and sugar, I simple shook my head. I didn’t trust my throat to actually form words that were corharent without first dowsing it with liquid. I then pointed to the steak burger and a side of house steak fries. The cute blonde head bobbed and left, leaving me anxiously waiting for my food and drink. I glanced feverishly around taking in every person and their position. A sharp electric wave went through my spine as I looked toward the kitchen, causing my back to straighten with awareness. My eyes locked onto a lone figure, watching an employee of about twenty-one, hypnotically walk into the kitchen. Ice and frost hung from him and his blue tinged black skin matched the icy, frozen, angry stare that he pointed at the employee. My stomach churned irritably as my thoughts raced. ‘Frozen bodies….bloody door...trying to escape...screams...no locks… couldn’t escape..dead.’ I sucked in a breath, steeling myself for the hardest choice I have ever had to make. Stomach growling, I stood and snuck around the edge of bodies to enter the kitchen.  
I could hear pans clattering and dishes scrapping as I entered and followed the spectre to the freezer. As the girl walked in, I jumped forward and attempt to catch the door, but it slam shut as the handle grazed my injured hand. I recoiled in pain as the jagged wound on my palm reopened. I turned to face the ghost who had shut the door with a blast of air, hearing the girl pounding on the other side. He glared back at me slowly drifting forward.  
Softly rasping out barely legible words, I spoke in his native tongue, my throat fighting against me, “Lazima uache. Hii haikusaidi. Tafadhali. Tafadhali.”  
“Hapana!” He growled back, “Wanapaswa kulipa!”  
‘Damn him,’ I thought. Then, “Sitakuacha, wewe mwana wa bitch! Unataka kulipiza kisasi? Unapaswa kuwa umekaa wafu!” I rasped out.  
I heard the footsteps before I felt the body that slammed into me. As the person collided into me, I lost sight of the spirit for two reasons. 1) the person had just tackled me to the ground. 2) As said person hit me, every wound in my body ripped open causing an overwhelming flood of pain to cause my vision to darken and blur. I bit my tongue to stop my scream, my broken bones twisting and stabbing into my flesh. My vision returned as I hit the ground, making it so I could see blue gray eyes glaring back at mine in accusation. Strands of red curls brushed my face as her strong forearm dug into my throat. Through the ringing in my ears and thickly clouded brain, I could hear the girl who had been trapped in the freezer, fall into her rescuers arms, sobbing with relief.  
‘Stupid, Rae!’ I chidded myself. ‘Rule number one, never ever let your guard down! That’s when you get caught! That’s when you get hurt!’  
“Who are you? What are you?” My attacker questioned me. Her face blurred in and out as darkness tried to take control of my sight.  
I didn’t have time for this. Fleeing from my captor for over two weeks, never stopping, never sleeping. My body was unable to heal adequately and was attempting to give out with every breath I took. I need to get to a safe place and let the darkness take over, if only for an hour or two. Sucking in air to brace my body for the tidal wave of pain that would follow, broken rib cage stabbing at me as I did so, I pulled my legs up between us, gripping her arm that crushed my vocal’s. Pinning the arm further to me, I used my feet to shove her off of me while keeping hold of her arm to control her movement. As her body flipped, she stiffened in response, as I had hoped for. Using her arm to turn her body over my head, I used her momentum to flip me with her. In the course of five second’s she was pinned beneath me, my knees on either side of her stomach. I held both her arms with my legs making it so there was no space for her to pull her feet up as I had done to her. My right forearm pressed to her neck to hold her head down, but light enough that she could breathe correctly. Letting my mouth curl slightly in a smile of recognition, I lept to my feet and bolted for the outside door. An arm reached out to block me from a man with the stench of monster’s around him. I knew that smell well, purgatory. I slid smoothly underneath it and ran.  
I heard footsteps following me, but I jumped onto a trash bin, grabbed a gutter railing, and swung myself onto the roof of an antiques shop. Keeping low, I stumbled to the back alley on the other side of the shop, dropped down and fled. My feet took me to campus grounds, students were rushing to get back into class. I took hold of the brick work and slowly climbed to the roof of the college. Not looking down, I stumbled to an area of the roof that wasn’t noticeable from the ground. It was flat and smooth with a slightly shaded area where this roof met the wall and another roof. Collapsing into the shadow, all I could think was that I should’ve just let the girl die and eaten my food, but just the thought made my stomach squirm. If I hadn’t stepped in knowing what I know….she would be dead and I didn’t need another death to add to my ever growing list. Still, I was now $30 short, still hungry, and more wounded than I was an hour ago.  
****  
Lauren’s Cafe and Grill was only two blocks away from my apartment, right before nearing the entrance, I retrieved the windbreaker and put it on taking the time to pull the hood of my jacket and my hair from underneath the collar. I then took a deep breath and made my way through the door and inside the building.   
I was stopped by an officer just as I was about to go behind the bar toward the kitchen area. So much for trying to go through unseen.   
This is why I had chosen to go through the front, most the time crimes took place in the back which is where everyone was gathered so it was easier to sneak through the front and act like I was there the whole time while conducting my own investigation.   
Just before I was able to make up some lame excuse about needing to use the restroom I heard my name ring through the diner echoing to loudly off the walls. “Anna, Oh my God. I’m so glad to see you!” she exclaimed rushing forward to wrap me in a tight hug.   
There was nothing I could do but hug her back. “Derek will be so glad you’re here,” Lauren continued, as she pulled away I saw her eyes take in the bright yellow FBI ïnsigunia on the pocket of the windbreaker then roam to the officer who was not so patiently waiting for an explanation.   
‘Shit I knew I was so screwed.’ because there was nothing else I could do I just stood there waiting for her to turn me in for impersonating an FBI agent. Instead she said, “Well I guess catching up will have to wait I, should probably get you back to your coworkers.”   
“Wait, what?” I asked positive I had misheard her. There was no way she was going to let me get away with doing something illegal.   
“Come,” she walked past the officer who was still glaring after us, “you have work to do.”  
As we made our way to the kitchen, she took me by the hand and lead me to a secluded corner behind the dish sink.   
“Okay, first things first, is Jesse safe?” She questioned urgently.   
“Yes he’s back at my apartment but..” she was quick to interrupt.  
“Quiet, I don’t have a lot of time. I wanted to let you know I don’t condone illegal activity but I know you, and you are smarter than these numbskulls who are actually in charge so I'm just going to pretend I never saw you. Anyone who believes that boy is a murder is an absolute moron.”  
“Thank you?” I was still surprised and beyond relieved that I wasn’t in handcuffs riding in the back of a squad car, so I guess that is the only explanation I have for my next statement.  
“But one of those people is your husband.” Wow, this is how you thank someone for saving your ass.   
To my even further bafflement Lauren just smiled and responded, “Like I said, an absolute moron.” She started to laugh and for the first time since I walked through the door, I felt relaxed enough to join her.   
“Thank you so much for all your help.” Thank goodness my manners were still semi intact, “and I am so sorry for your loss.” This is what I really wanted to tell her. I knew she had been close with her father. He had been well known and loved by the community. I would miss him as well he had a way of making people feel at home, and it had been a long time since I had felt that way.   
Lauren’s grip on my hand got tighter, as tears began to wet her eyes, “Thank you. Good luck, Anna, make it right.”   
She then let go of my hand to wipe away the tears. Before she turned to exit, she faced me once again, “Oh, I almost forgot! Let those handsome boys with you know that lunch is on me.”  
“Wait, boys?” The words were not fast enough to catch her, as the kitchen door closed.   
‘Okay,’ I thought, watching her go I really hoped that working this case was not going to make it so I had to leave. I actually really liked it here, even the constant heat was bearable because I realized I had friends here and shit, I couldn't be thinking like this. That was it. That was how they were going to get me, maybe I had stayed here to long if these thoughts were coming to the surface.   
I didn’t have to deal with this right now, I just needed to focus on the present. ‘Ha I’m so very funny,’ I thought to myself, as I began to make my way from the dish sink over to the walk in freezer.   
The door was held wide open with a bungee cord, yellow caution tape x-ing the entryway. I looked around to make sure no one was watching me. Then slightly raising the left side of the x, I slipped through. Once standing inside, I couldn't control the shiver that made my spine tingle, or the slight acceleration of my heart rate.   
‘Oh God, I really hated these things.’ Even though I knew the door was clearly wide open behind me, I couldn't shake the fear that the door would lock and I would be stuck screaming loudly with nobody able to hear me through the thick steel doors. ‘Oh great now, I was panicking. I have to get out of here, I have to get out of here. Why wasn’t my body moving? Oh my God, I couldn’t move.’   
“Hey you, what are you doing in there?” The voice was loud and left my ears reverberterating, but it at least kicked my body into survival mode allowing me to quickly retrieve my dagger, and cut down the caution tape still in my way.  
Now I was ready to stab whoever owned that voice, however, before the cold metal could pierce flesh, I felt a strong pair of hands tightly grip my wrists. I flipped around preparing to slam my head into my assailant’s face, hopefully hitting the nose, distracting them long enough to get away. Before I could put this plan into action, I once again heard my name.   
“Wait, Anna, stop.”  
Surprised, I stopped struggling, and took the time to actually look up at a face, into eyes that were either brown or green depending on the way that I shifted my head.  
“Sam?” I questioned.   
Now that I was no longer panicking, my senses were starting to catch up. I realised first that, ‘Wow! He was tall! It's a good thing that he had stopped me from putting my first plan into action, because I would not have been able to reach his head. He had a hard muscular chest I would have done more damage to myself.’ The second thing I picked up on was that he was holding my wrists tight enough to cut off circulation.   
“Do you think maybe you could let go of me now? I promise I’ll be good.” I added meekly, doing my best to mask my embarrassment with lame humor.   
“Oh yeah, right sorry.” He released my wrists and I shook out my hands trying to re-initiate blood flow. When I could finally feel my fingers I bent over to put my dagger back in my boot.  
I then turned around so I could properly face him also taking notice of another man standing close behind him. He was scowling and looked as if he was ready to go on attack. It was a while before any of us spoke.   
“Not that this isn’t fun or anything...but we are a bit busy, so you can go ahead and leave now. We’ve got this.” The man beside Sam declared haughtily.  
He was the one who had spoken while I had been in the freezer. Though annoyed at his tone, I could tell by looking into his intense olive green eyes, that he had good intentions. This was not his first rodeo, but what he didn’t understand was that it wasn’t mine either. I wasn’t the typical stupid civilian looking for something interesting to write about about for their next collage newspaper article. I was not going anywhere. I guess my face said as much because Sam stepped in front of us.   
“Okay, before this gets ugly, maybe we should sit and talk. We can try to figure something out.”   
“Sammy!?” The man warned.  
“No, Dean!” Sam stated firmly, “I owe her a free coffee anyway. Besides I’m kind of curious about why we found her in a freezer.” He glanced at me, a slightly amused grin lighting his face.  
I couldn’t help the blush creeping up my cheeks causing my ears to burn with heat. I didn't actually think that he would remember  
“Wait,” the man beside, I mean Dean, spoke up. Why did he always sound like he was yelling? “You two, know each other?”  
“Yes, we meant at Stanford,” I answered cautiously.   
“In English Lit, Edgar Allan Poe,” Sam chimed in.   
“Great, Just super,” Dean sassed dragging his hand from his forehead to the very tip of his chin.   
“Well, I could be game for a catch up session, or at least lunch. I know the owner of the cafe. She told me to let you guys know lunch was on her… so?” I questioned, looking at each boy in turn.  
“I will never say no to free food,” Dean finally claimed, seeming to relax slightly. He turned and began to make his way from the walk-in back towards the dining area. I looked at Sam questionly, he just shrugged his shoulders and began to follow Dean. I took a deep breath before I started to follow Sam thinking, ‘Dear God, what have I gotten myself into now?’  
We took a seat in a booth near the back. Lauren, who had been wiping down the bar area when we had entered, came to our table handing us each a menu.   
“Can I start ya’ll off with something to drink?” She questioned politely, her accent was thick and she had such a genuine smile, a smile she had passed along to her son Derek. It amazed me that her father had died approximately seventy-two hours ago and she could still smile and make small talk with each and every customer who came through these doors.  
“Coffee, black thank you ,” Dean replied, his brusque voice bringing me out of my reverie. God, I needed to stop spending so much time in my head.   
“Just a water is fine,” Sam responded., his eyes not leaving his menu. I chuckled slightly as I watched him. He was one of those people who actually read the the menu, every word.   
“I will take a strawberry milkshake, with extra whip cream,” I told Lauren in a voice tinged with childlike excitement.   
“What? I had a cup of coffee this morning,” I explained to Sam’s upturned lips and raised eyebrows. Dean just shook his head.   
“So how do you two know each other?” I asked to break the uncomfortable silence we had once again fallen into.   
“Nice to know I was such a hot topic of conversation at Stanford.” Dean grouched, turning his head so he could pout out the window.   
Sam just rolled his eyes, in exasperation. I could tell that this was an ongoing fight that would never end. ‘Great, note to self avoid anything relating to Sam’s time at Stanford. So I was probably never going to be on Dean’s good side. Which I supposed didn’t matter since it wasn’t likely I would ever see him again.’   
“Dean’s my brother,” Sam answered, his large hands massaging his forehead as he leaned his elbows on the table. He looked as if he was suffering from a headache.  
“Ahh... I see,” I mumbled, clasping my hands between my thighs.   
I decided to stop sticking my foot down my throat and instead put all my concentration into observing the other customers surrounding me. Jesse’s older sister, Lily, used to play this game with me. We would take a trip to a public place then, she would give me a time period and a location and I had to make up a story that explained the events that brought at least five of these people together.   
My eyes started to wonder in search of these five when the lavender blue doors of the cafe opened distracting me completely. Standing behind the please wait to be seated sign was a girl. She might have been pretty, if she didn’t look like Cerberus’s chew toy. Her burgundy hair lay limp and mated by what might have been blood, framing a gaunt tired face. Her clothes were filthy and looked as though they had lost a fight with a paper shredder. Her hands hanging weakly by her sides were wrapped tightly in dirty torn pieces of fabric.   
What really stood out to me were her eyes. They almost seemed animalistic, definitely not human. She looked ready to maul someone. This immediately put me on alert mode.   
I watched as she took in her surroundings cautiously, taking note of every entrance and exit. I continued to stare as she seemed to stumble towards a front corner booth.  
I was so preoccupied that a sudden high pitched squeal from three tables down caused me to jump slightly in my seat  
“Where is it!?”   
‘Damn,’ I thought rubbing my ears, I hadn’t realized a person’s voice could reach such a high frequency.  
“I know I just had it, No! Do you really think I would just drop $2000 in cash, you bitch!” The girl continued to scream and rant. A girl whose brunette hair was cut to look chopped, instantly responded and bent down to look under the table and in between the cracks of the booth.  
She was the obvious outsider, still paying her dues to the queen. She was probably new to the group as well. I wonder what she had to do to gain the little power she held. I felt a tinge of sympathy and the beginnings of indignant anger start in the pit of my stomach. People who had so much power over others like that really made me want to punch things.   
If only for a distraction I turned back to face the girl with the deadly eyes. She was watching the girls as they continued combing the diner for the missing wallet, her swollen lips creeping slowly up into an almost smirk. She had that girl’s money.   
I laughed as I watched Julianna, one of the newer waitresses with wavy blonde hair and bright child blue eyes practically bounce over to her table. Her face fell as if to say ‘Really God are messing with me?’   
She was probably too hungry to care for long. She attempted to sit up straighter and placed two bills on the table. There was no way she had earned that money.   
I didn't like the girl she had taken it from and a small part of me respected the karma finally making its way back to her, but she didn't have to steal. Lauren would have fed her and I still didn't trust her. There was something about her and my instincts were screaming she's not human, there's something more.   
But Julianna just smiled wider and handed her a menu. I watched her point and Julianna nod scribbling on her pad which meant that either she couldn't speak, likely due to dehydration. If she hadn't had food she also didn't have water or... she was hiding a lizard tongue or something weird like that, which I knew was unlikely, but I wasn't ruling it out.   
As Julianna skipped off I watched the girls eyes shift towards the kitchen area; she was watching something a little to attentively. I grabbed Sam’s wrist and shook it until his head snapped up to look at me.   
“What?” He asked still a little lost in his own thoughts, ‘Damn could I relate.’  
“Do you think that's a little suspicious?” I questioned pointing at the girl.   
As Sam’s gaze focused in the direction I pointed, the girl abruptly stood and started to make her way stealthy towards the kitchen.   
“Yeah, that's most definitely suspicious,” Sam agreed, as we both began to make our way out of the booth.   
“Took you two long enough.” Dean muttered as he followed us. I guess I hadn't been the only one keeping tabs on this girl’s movements.  
“You could have spoken up at anytime,” Sam grouched at his brother.   
“I knew you'd eventually figure it out on your own,” Dean answered calmly though it was obvious the comment was engineered to sting. “I didn't expect the girl to beat you to it but…”  
“That's enough!” I interrupted, not quite yelling but loud enough I attracted the eyes at the three nearest tables “We are losing her, you can sort through your family issues later.”  
Sam and Dean were still glaring at each other but they did follow me as I snuck around to the kitchens side door near the bathrooms. As we entered, I watched in horror as the freezer door slammed shut. I could hear the screams echoing through the doors.  
‘Well that's reassuring!’ I thought, ‘so people can hear you scream!’   
‘Anna! Snap out of it!’ I thought to myself, ‘now is so not the time.’  
I watched as the girl turned her back to the freezer. It looked as if she was more trying to keep something out rather then something in, but I couldn't see anything else and I couldn't stand the sound of the screams. I had to help.  
Pulling up my sleeves so they we're out of my way, I surged forward, panic and adrenaline coursing through my bloodstream. I managed to tackle the girl to the ground. As we made contact with the floor, I could hear the sickening crunch of breaking bones and her warm blood seeping through my favorite sweatshirt. ‘Holy shit!’ I thought as the gash on her throat where I was holding her, reopened staining my forearm. I wanted to ask what had happened to give her such wounds but what came out of my mouth instead was, “Who are you? What are you?” ‘Wow, I was the queen of eloquence today.’  
Judging by the mess of wounds I saw covering her torso and face it was amazing that she was even alive. I wasn’t given much time to consider what my next course of action would be. I felt her heels dig into my stomach, surprise causing my body to stiffen in response. It wasn’t long before I found our positions reversed.   
Once I had time to catch my breath, I noticed I could now more clearly see those eyes up close. The irises were a shattered blue with a ring of silver lining the outside, making them appear to be glowing. ‘That was kind of weird,’ I thought.  
Before my voice found its way back to my vocal cords, she had started to make her way off me. Before she bolted through the side doors (Dean disappearing after her) she did show a smile of what could only be described as... acknowledgement? maybe respect? causing her to show off her blood stained teeth.   
I slowly sat up, checking to make sure I wasn’t broken anywhere. I then stood up and walked over to Sam, who was still busy trying to quiet sobs. I put a hand on her shoulder, she startled and turned a tear streaked face towards mine.   
“Anna?” She asked her voice breathy and choked. It was Caitlyne, Derek’s younger sister.   
‘God! Could I just stop running into people I knew?!’ I understood that might be hard. I had spent so much time at this cafe, especially since I had come to Texas. I spent more time here then at my apartment.  
Caitlyne had once tried to teach me how to make the pies. I could add baking to the list of talents I didn't have but it had been fun to sort of have a sister who actually cared. One more person that could be used against me. I had to leave.   
I took a deep breath, “Yea. It's me, Caitlyne. Are you okay?”   
In response, she turned away from Sam and sprang into my arms hugging me so tightly she restricted the air that had only come back moments before, completely ignoring that I was covered in blood.  
I didn’t care, breathing was overrated and I knew I was hugging her back just as tightly. We just stood there for a while. I didn't let go even when I could no longer feel my arms.   
“It’s going to be okay, I promise. I’m so sorry,” I whispered, running my fingers gently through her long brunette ponytail. I could feel her small head nod into the soft flesh of my stomach. We didn't break apart until Dean raced back in.   
“I swear she's a fucking ninja,” he exclaimed. “She slipped right underneath my arm, the jumped onto a trash bin and vaulted over a roof!” His words were tinged with maybe a hint of respect and awe.  
“We need to find that girl,” I stated.   
“We?” Dean reiterated, he obviously still didn’t get it.   
“Yes, we.” I answered, my voice sounding strong and certain, which was the exact opposite of how I was actually feeling.   
I really wanted to go home and pretend I didn’t care about people but I saw Sam’s mouth twitch upwards in response to my words, and I let my own lips respond accordingly before I continued. A small part of me, that I was used to ignoring, wasn't ready to lose him again.  
“I don’t think that girl is our main suspect. It looked more as if she was talking with something else. But she needs our help she’s hurt really bad.”  
“So we split up and search the surrounding area, in her current condition I don't think she's gone too far.” Dean said, already making his way to the doors.  
“Do you mind if I borrow your pen and a piece of paper?” Sam asked Caitlyne, who retrieved the requested items and handed them over. “Thank you,” he responded, while scribbling an address and phone number across the top, which he then handed to me. “That is the address of our motel,” he explained. “If you find her, call me. Meet us back at that address in an hour.”  
“Ok, will do.” I answered back.  
Before he turned to leave, he stopped and said, “Oh, and Anna it was nice to see you again.” I made sure he was gone before I allowed my smile to consume my face.   
“Ohh! You like him!” Came a loud girlish croon from behind me.  
‘Dear God, I forgot Caitlyne was still in the room.’ She was watching me a knowing smile making her seem a little older.  
“Shut up!” I responded, my cheeks flamed with embarrassment. “Besides,” I added defensively, “it will never work. I know, I've tried.” The last part was whispered almost in shame because this was something I hadn't really admitted, even to myself. I’ve had a crush on Sam Winchester, since he was selected to read a short story in class one fateful Friday afternoon. The boy had a way with words.   
“Besides,” I added, “he just got out of a relationship and I don't think it ended well.” I explained, remembering Sam’s slumped figure that night at the bar. “He's still like recovering.”  
Caitlyne just shook her head, “Whatever Anna, just know, I'm rooting for you, oh and come on back to the office. We both need to change our shirts. I look like I murdered someone, customers are sure to disapprove.” Before following her out of the kitchen I looked back at the piece of paper Sam had given me. It took over ten years but... I finally got the boy’s phone number!   
****  
The ground rumbled beneath my feet as cars sped by at over 200 miles per hour. The sound of metal crunching and tires screeching out of control, couldn’t stop the buzzing of the vehicles racing by. The sounds of the crowd screaming in panic and the commentator yelling through his mic, was almost lost in the cries of the little girl with dark, choppy, brown hair that I saw running towards the race track. A man caught her in his grasp before she could get hit by the streaks of color circling the green, mechanic to the man whose body lay dead in the crushed, twisted metal. I tried to move, wanting to comfort the screaming girl, but my body stuck like it was in wet cement.  
“NOOO, Daddy!! No!” She screamed, “Don’t leave me! You can’t leave me, daddy!”  
As she let out a gurtled scream that echoed into the stadium, I saw a veil of gold cover her eyes, even as the screams continued, and I was sucked into her head. Scenery moved by in high speed, people moved and spoke, looking like a tape in reverse but the pictures still visible. It picked up in speed until only blurs of colors, just like the race cars outside of her mind, remained. Finally, the clip stopped, zoning in on a glowing figure who spoke softly to her.  
“I’m sorry, my child, for the pain you must endure, but you are my only creation that I can trust to protect the others. Should you hate me for this, I will understand. I will give you a choice when your time comes, which side to choose in this eternal battle. When that time comes, no force will stop you.”  
With dizzying speed, the clips fast forward again until I was back in my own body watching the five year old as her screams died and her eyes return to their normal shade. Her hysterical sobbing was cut off as she vomited viciously over the man's arm that was holding her back. She shook so severely it appeared that a seizure had taken over. When the episode stopped, she stood on her own two feet and turned to look at me, a grotesque smile twisting her face. The race track disappeared, replaced by scenes following this event, all painful, all in high speed. I saw monsters hunting me; I watched in horror as beings ripped into flesh and blood splattered; I saw red eyes that questioned me and sliced, stabbed, broke, and raped me; I saw my blood covered hands and the death of my victims; I saw myself falling into the fire’s of hell and fighting my way back to the earth above; I saw myself learning to killing or to be killed. Only myself and the little girl stood in place.  
“This will never end!” The voice deep and growling in the child's mouth, which held razer blade teeth. “You will always suffer! You will never be whole! You are nothing but a monster! Each time you die, happiness will not last. You will be feral, killing all in your path: human, monster, demon, or angel! Then you will die and be born a monster again and again! Each time leaving nothing but death and destruction in your wake. You are cursed! Not gifted! Your soul is rotten and decayed! You are nothing but a vessel for an infected soul that spreads disease where ever you go! Through all of eternity!”  
This little girls face twisted, growing old and rotting as she spoke, far older than any human should become. Bones lay exposed under the blackish, festering skin which sagged on her small and weathered frame. Her eyes grew vacant and hollow, nose withering away until only the exposed, browning bone remained. Her jaw was yellow and slack as she spoke, then she disappeared. I turned around as I heard a rustle of fabric behind me. As I turned the memories stopped flowing and faded from white to gray to black; I hung suspended in an eternal darkness. An oval shaped object floated behind me, covered in a thick, dark cloth. Gripping the fabric with shaking hands, I tore it off. The velvet fluttered from my hand and disappeared in the void revealing an old, cracking and rusty mirror beneath it. The being looking back was tear streaked, dirt smeared, and scrapped; the eyes, wild and dead at the same time. Then my reflection twisted becoming the old girls face once again, reaching out of the mirror towards me with clawed fingertips. Her voice echoed around me in the emptiness, “This is you! This is what you truly are! Rotten, long dead, infected, feral!” I recoiled from her sharp fingers, which pricked my cheek just below my left eye. I could feel the blood well up and spill, bleeding more than it should. Then I was no longer floating, I was falling into the void which turned to fire and hot melting iron that clung to me burning through my skin, muscles, and bones. The pain of hot melting flesh and metal enveloped me followed by the smell of burnt meat. I felt a rough hand grip my forearm, but could not see the owner of it or the hand itself. My mouth dropped open in an eternal scream and my eyes turned black. I felt a dizzying soaring sensation as my body felt like it was being jerked upwards.  
The sun hit my retinas as I opened my eyes causing me to flinch and I felt the hand release me. Groggily, I heard a deep voice, loud and persistent, break through the cloud of dreams.  
“Hey, are you alright? Can you hear me?” The man’s face was concerned but serious. He was crouched down, but he was still so large that I felt that he could be almost a foot taller than me while standing.  
“Damn….” my voice crackley whispered.  
“Yeah, I get that alot. Come on, we have to get you out of here. Do you think you can stand by yourself?” He reached his hand out to me.  
I recoiled from his reach, instinct causing me to flinch. I shook my head, a look of distrust and anger curled my lip up in a snarl. To my own surprise a deep growling sound echoed up from my chest, a growl full of threatening fear and warning to any attacker. The deep rumbling caused my dream to come back to me. “Feral animal!” That is what I had become. I sunk my teeth into my tongue which caused blood to fill my mouth. I swallowed, allowing my own blood to slick my throat so that I could speak a bit better.  
“I won’t go anywhere with you. I don’t know you or trust you. Just leave me and we’ll go our separate ways.” The dryness of my throat cause the words to sound gravelly.  
“You know I can't just let you go.” His look, though apologetic, showed no relenting.   
“Then you also know that I won’t go down without a fight.” I leapt to my feet, wincing as I did so.   
I swung a right hook at his jaw, but my body, usually faster than any other being, moved sluggishly and at human speed. He caught my fist almost effortlessly, giving me a look that stated clearly, “really?” I growled through clenched teeth and brought my left leg up to meet his arm that held my fist. The flesh ripped open in my thigh and I actual cried out in agony as my foot connect with his arm, forcing him to release me. My body swung with my foot, taking me in full circle to face him again as he recoiled from my blow, a bruise already starting to creep into his forearm. I faked a swing to his gut which he moved to intercept. Taking my right fist back and using my left to strike a blow at his right temple. As my fist connected to his skull, I weakened my blow, afraid that his temple bone would crack. However, my strikes, which would usually break through bone (or indent steel), only tapped him enough to result in him pulling back and wincing rather than flooring him. ‘Shit!’ I thought as my vision began to blur, ‘Focus, Rae, focus.’ I shook my head trying to clear the red blotches and fizzing sparks. Swing after swing, he went on offence. Barely escaping each hook by weaving, he eventually backed off to catch air. As I lept at him my body grew heavy and the light disappeared from my surroundings. I dropped without him ever having to connect his fist to my flesh. I felt him catch my body, before it hit the rooftop and slid off, before all my senses left me. For the first time in this lifetime, complete darkness was the only thing that greeted me.  
****  
As I left the cafe, I instructed both Lauren and Caitlyne to call if anything else out of the ordinary happened. I then decided that I was missing something and needed more information.  
I decided to make my way to the public library, which wasn't to much further out of my way. As I entered I inhaled deeply. It didn't matter what screwy thing was turning my life into a Stephen King novel, the smell of books always had a neutralizing effect on my emotions. The only quick solution I knew of that brought me back to center freeing enough brain space for me to think.   
I settled down at a table near the back of the room and retrieved a blue notebook from my backpack, that I had previously labeled what do I know. I had others of the same color in varying states of shabbiness. I then set to the task of finding a pencil that had any lead in it, I would have to restock later, I hated pens, I needed the ability to erase. After finally finding a working pencil I wrote out everything I so far knew about this case: 1)There had been five reported Deaths all taking place in the walk in freezer at Lauren’s Cafe and Grill. 2)Not all those who had died were previous employees. 3)The victims had seemed to be at around the same age until Caitlyne.   
I stopped writing. I found this troubling. ‘Why did whatever this was decide to break his pattern? Unless…’ I thought, “maybe the pattern was finished and this situation had turned into a revenge scheme.’  
Flipping through my mental catalogue of creepy creatures I had faced, the most likely candidate was probably a ghost. Specters, who for some reason or another, found themselves stuck or unable to move on. There were those who felt their deaths were unfair or untimely, which could cause them to seek revenge on those who they believed had wronged them or those affiliated.   
Based on this hypothesis I decided to check the internet to see if I could find any articles relating to suspicious deaths that might have taken place at the cafe, when nothing came up I decided to see if the building had been something else before becoming the cafe. I found that it had once been an old butcher shop. When I searched suspicious murders, I found an article about a young African American boy who died after being locked in the walk in by the butcher’s white son and his friends as a prank. They had turned down the freezers temperature resulting in hypothermia being the cause of death. White police officers had labeled the crime as an accident as this was the first African American to make his way into Austin Community College following the end of the civil war.  
‘Why were people so sick? But... Bazinga!’ I had found what I was looking for.   
I hurried to print off the article. While waiting for the machine to spit it out, I grabbed my phone out of the mesh side pocket of my bag so that I could check the time. It was 12:35 meaning I had a half an hour more before I had agreed to meet Sam at his and Dean's hotel. I placed the printed article carefully in a purple folder labeled for future reference. Then picked my bag up from the floor and swung it unto my shoulders.  
Leaving the library, I stopped by a nearby drugstore where I grabbed a pack of purple mechanical pencils and at my stomachs angry request a box of crunchy oat and honey granola bars. I then stopped by Jesse apartment where I grabbed a red shirt and a pair of jeans that were lying on his floor, which likely met he could wear them for another day. After I finished up at Jesse’s, it was 12:56. Great, so I would be a little late. I decided to call Sam to let him know that I was on my way and that I had a lead on the case.   
“We found her!” He exclaimed, after picking up on the third ring, “it’s bad.”   
“Okay I’m my way,” I told him starting to walk faster.   
“Where are you?” Sam questioned “We can come pick you up.”   
“I’m on the corner of fifth, right after the Apple Pie apartment complexes.”   
“Mmm! Pie!” I heard a voice that was muffled by the phone’s scratchy speakers.   
“Shut up, Dean!” Sam grumbled. He must have taken his face away from the speaker because his voice was was as scratchy and nearly indistinct as his brother’s. “I think I can see you.” Sam stated his voice becoming clearer again.   
I watched as a black Chevy impala pulled smoothly up to the curb of the street corner.   
‘Holy crap it was beautiful.’ I hung up my phone and put it back in my bag I then carefully opened the back door and climbed in next to the now unconscious girl. Her wounds looked even worse now that I was closer. I still had trouble wrapping my head around the fact that she was alive and she wasn't by any means weak. I had felt the strong sure, pressure of her body suffocating mine.   
“Okay, so we now have an unconcious girl and your girlfriend.” Dean summed up, “So now what's the plan?”  
My cheeks were flaming and there was no way I was going to look at Sam. “I think I can help her.” I finally admitted, keeping my head down my voice low. “I have some supplies back at my apartment that might help.”   
“What do you mean might?” Dean inquired critically.   
“Do you actually believe she's human?” I asked. “Think of her reflexes, and how is she still alive? She's different, but I can do my best. I know my way around some healing spells.”  
“Wait! Healing spells!” Dean interrupted, taking his eyes of the road to look back at me. “What? You some kind of witch?”   
The truth was, no, I was not a witch but my mother ran with some interesting crowds. When I was born she cut most of her ties with that world and that lifestyle though she still had run her very own naturopathic clinic. Many would say she had a gift she could cure the incurable, except death had still come for her and there was nothing her herbs or magic could do.  
I wasn't' going to explain this to Sam and Dean, so I just said, “My mom, she taught me my way around plants that have healing properties and at the very least I can get her cleaned and into some fresh clothes.”   
Dean looked at Sam who just shrugged like it couldn't hurt. “Unless you want her to continue to bleed out on your upholstery.” I added. I knew this remark had hit home, when Dean’s muscles stiffened.   
“Where do you live?” He asked me almost viciously.  
“Not far from here.” I answered, smiling as I let myself look out the window to take in my surroundings. You always knew when a guy loved his car. “You just take a left up here then turn right and it's the third apartment complex on the right hand side, #204.”   
In no time at all we we're pulling up to my building. I got out of the car and was surprised when Sam followed me. “You don't have to come with me.” I said. “I won't be long.”  
“I could use the exercise.” Sam stated. It was a lame excuse and we both knew it, but I decided not to question it. Something was obviously going on with these two, as far as brother stuff, that I myself did not really want to get entangled in. So I decided to let Sam follow me inside up two flights of stairs before we reached my door. I inserted my key but managed to lock the door instead of unlocking it.   
‘That's weird.’ I thought, ‘I was always very careful about locking my door, if I didn’t I thought about little for the rest of the day and I was always worried about what I would find lurking in my closet or shower. Call me paranoid but it had happened I had a scar running down the length of my right arm as a constant reminder that no matter how many times I tried to be normal I could never let my guard down because I was not ever going to be safe.’   
As I once again unlocked my door, I looked back at Sam, “I know I locked this door.” I whispered, as I pulled my dagger from my boot. Sam wordlessly followed my lead drawing forth a silver serrated blade from the inside pocket of his jacket. How he had kept this concealed without stabbing himself was beyond me. I slowly turned the knob and pushed the door open.   
The first thing my eyes came to rest on was Jesse. He was covered in bright red blood. I dropped my bag to the floor and ran towards him Sam following more carefully behind me. I don't know why we run to people who we know are dead. I knew he was gone, his body had been shredded. Almost methodically. His neck definitely broken. I just stood there looking at him. I couldn't seem to look away. This death was planned for me. It was just to intricately done.   
“Anna?” I could here Sam calling my name but my eyes would not move. So he came over and grabbed my shoulders his touch causing a shiver to run the length of my spine. I took in a large lungful of air so fast that it caused me to choke leading to a coughing fit. “Anna, look at this!’ Sam said after I had finished. I finally had the capacity to look away from Jesse to face him. He was holding up a note. “This was pinned to the wall.” He explained.   
‘The same wall Jesse would forever be staring at.’ I thought darkly. I could feel my insides writhing, thankfully I made it to the sink before throwing up the little that had made it into my stomach that day.   
When I was through I slowly rinsed out my mouth and walked back over to Sam holding out my hand. He just looked at me, “Are you sure?” He inquired.   
‘Why did the world seem to be moving in in slow motion?’ I wondered as I held out my hand. “Please, give it to me. I need to see it.”  
Though he looked reluctant he handed me the note:   
So sorry I missed you love, ‘Love? Holy fuck! I was seriously going to throw up again.’ I leaned against the wall and took a deep breath steadying myself before I continued reading. I left you a little something, handle with care, hope to catch up with you soon.   
xxxxooooo.   
After I finished reading, I crumpled the note and shoved it into the pocket of my jeans. I then walked over to Jesse and closed his beautiful chocolate eyes. “I'm so sorry…” I whispered. Tears fell from my cheeks like a light rain. I quickly cleared them away with the back of my hands. I turned back to Sam, squaring my shoulders and trying to get control over my breathing . I had to accept that I couldn't save Jesse but there was another who needed my help. I began to make my way to my closet, barely registering that the rest of the place was absolutely trashed. It was only by Sam’s intervention that I didn't trip and impale myself on an overturned bookcase. I successfully made it to my bedroom, which judging by the lack of tripping hazards, had been the only room not to be decimated. As I entered, my eyes landed on the rose lying on top of my pillow, placed beside a human heart; Jesse's heart. I now understood what he had left for me.I forced myself to swallow back the bile trying to make it's way up my throat. I managed to step back and breath before quickly squatting down to retrieve the small duffel bag I stored under my bed, desperately trying to tell my brain that it didn't notice the rose petals littering my carpet. I started loading the jars of herbs that I had previously stored in my closet as quickly as I could.  
‘How dare the sick bastard destroy what had been my only real sanctuary!’. I really really wanted to cry, but I couldn't let it loose yet because I knew once I let this go I wouldn't be able to rein it back in any time soon. So I hurriedly packed up the rest of my small wardrobe, since there would be no way I was ever coming back here, and grabbed a small pistol from inside the drawer of my nightstand. It was nothing fancy, it had once been my brother's. The fact that I had this proved that the scariest monsters were humans. Before I closed the drawer my eyes landed on a picture of Jesse, Derek, Caitlyn, and I taken just last halloween. Jesse was a zombie, Derek was a clown, Caitlyn an angle, and me, I was the scariest creature of all, I was reality. Because in reality I realized that humans and monsters coexisted. I had closed the drawer halfway intending to leave the photo behind before I realized that just because it hurt now I would want to keep this if only because I kept everything. So I grabbed the photo and stuffed it viciously into my bag then I zipped the bag closed and headed back to the front door where I pulled back on my backpack. I then took careful aim and shot three bullets through my window creating a small triangle.   
“The police will be here soon.” I said to Sam, by way of explanation. “We should get out of here.” As I tried to leave I couldn't help but look back at Jesse “Be good.” I said softly. “I love you.”   
Then I turned and ran out of the apartment as fast as I could, before the tears could catch me, Sam following close behind, even being courteous enough to close the door. We ran into Dean at the buildings entrance, “I heard gunshots..” but I didn't wait for him to finish before racing past him into the back seat of the impala. Sam must have given Dean the quick version because it wasn't long before we were driving again. The boys continued talking up front I couldn't really understand what they were saying. Had I been more with it I might have noticed the worried glances Sam was shooting me through the rearview mirror but I couldn't see anything except Jesse's face or sometimes it would be that note. I really needed something else to focus on or I was going to completely lose it. I turned back to the girl with the deadly eyes. Taking in each and every wound that was visible. This kept me distracted enough as we made it back to the hotel.  
After Dean parked, he picked up the girl and began carrying her bridal style. I followed behind Sam lugging my bags on my back nearly tripping over an elevated crack in the sidewalk. Sam once again reaching out to steady me. “I'm fine!” I said, as I jerked out of his touch.   
Sam looked a bit taken aback at my brashness. “Oh my God. I'm sorry.” I said. ‘Man I was being such a spaz.’ “I just wasn't out of my head yet,” I explained hiding my face with my hands. Sam didn't say anything. I was surprised when I felt warm arms wrapped around me. My body starting to stiffen out of instinct. But I was tired and it wasn't long before I just let it happen. I let him hug me. If only because he was sturdy and I felt like the little walls I had very little industrial strength at the moment.   
We just stood like this until Dean found us, “Hate to break up this love fest but we have a young lady who is dying. Just thought you guys should be aware.”   
Sam rolled his eyes at his brothers retreating back. “You good?” He asked.   
“Fine.” I answered back, once again reaching for the bags I had dropped at my feet. Sam beat me to the duffel. Then we both made our way into a shabby dark motel room. Dean had lain the girl on the nearest bed. I placed my bag down at my feet. I then unzipped my backpack and retrieved the folder that held the news article I had printed out at the library and my phone from the side pocket and handed both these items to Sam.   
“All the information I found on this case is in that folder, before I left the cafe I told Lauren and Caitlyne to call me if anything else happened. I’m pretty sure our suspect is a ghost.”   
“So just a simple salt and burn.” Dean reaffirmed, as he peeked over Sam’s shoulder so he could see the article as well. I couldn’t quite contain the almost smile as I watched Dean overcome the 3” height difference by standing on his toes. “Piece of cake.”   
“Great, so I’m going to get her sorted out while you guys go get our ghost.”   
“Sounds like a plan.” Dean said as he walked out of the room. Sam started to follow but turned back to look at me.   
“Are you sure you don’t need help?” He asked. ‘Oh my God, I had let him see to much! The last thing I wanted was Sam Winchester to see me as weak.’  
“I promise, I’m fine.” I told him. Managing to straighten my spine and shoulders. “Go have fun.” I said doing my best to try to smile.   
“Okay.” He said. I could tell he saw through me. But he was going to give me my space. We both had a job to do, and right now this had to be our focus. I kind of wondered why he cared so much. I wasn’t anything to him. He must just actually be a decent guy. I decided I wasn't going to get anything done until I emptied my brain and focused. I really wished I had some aderalle right about now. This was an exam I would have to pass without the drugs. Jesse was probably not the best influence on me in our college years. I took a steadying breath, thoughts of Jesse were really not going to be welcome right now. I reached into my bag to retrieve my first aid kit, pulling on some white latex gloves, I carefully started to remove her shirt cringing everytime the cloth snagged across a scab causing wounds to reopen. When the clothing was no longer touching her torn skin, I retrieved a pair of scissors, which I also kept in my first aid kit, and slowly began to cut the shirt away before pulling the remains from her arms. I then threw the shirt into a nearby trashcan that I placed next to the bed before I started. Before I could think to hard, I quickly got started on her pants. I didn’t understand how my mother could just strip a patient down without even blinking an eye. I was use to helping her but I normally drew the limit at the waist. Unfortunately, here in this room, it was only me. This girl wasn’t even conscious and I still felt like I was somehow violating her. From watching her movements at the cafe, she was not a people person. This was probably the only way someone like me would be this close to someone like her. I had a feeling if she were awake, she would have probably had me pinned to the floor with a knife to my throat.   
Shaking my head of these unhelpful thoughts I miraculously got her pants off. Which wasnt to hard because they were already in pieces anyway. I then removed the filthy bandages covering her hands and feet. When I had this finished, I made my way to the motel bathroom where I found a washcloth which I ran under warm water and carefully began wiping away the dirt, grime and dried blood coating her body. I then decided to tackle her hair. The easiest way to do this would probably be by using the bathroom sink. So I placed a chair, that was upholstered in the ugliest beige fabric I had ever had the misfortune to lay eyes on, by the sink before moving her from the bed to the chair so that I could lay her head back in the sink. The fact that this was so easy, really worried me. She was way to light. If she ever woke up, we had to get some fluids and food in her pronto. I was actually starting to feel bad that we had interrupted her from getting food. She wasn't going to be happy when she woke up. ‘When? When! God, I really hoped she woke up.’ I was so not in the mood to deal with another death. “You will wake up!” I told her venomontly as I scrubbed out her hair. Then wrapped it in a towel so it could dry.  
I carried her back to the bed, grateful that she looked a little better all ready. Though I was relieved, it also wasn't natural and my curiosity was already near bursting point and I sort of felt like my head was to full as it was. So I tried to keep my focus on just making a salve by mixing Lavender, pot marigold, and Broadleaf plantain. Lavender would accelerate the healing process, though judging by what I had so far witnessed, her body naturally had this ability but it wouldn't hurt to move things along. The marigold was actually a key component in antiseptic ointment so I was hoping it would take down some of the inflammation. Broadleaf plantain would helped relieve pain. Before applying to her skin I also added some Aloe Vera, as I noticed her skin was dry and I figured what would it hurt.  
After everything was prepared, I smeared the concoction all over her body in large quantities. I realized when I reached her collarbone, that along the burn was an outline of what had once been letters. As I examined the area closer I could make out an I N L E and a T. It must have been a tattoo. If I got the chance, I wanted to ask her what it had said. I got my first Tattoo right after I struck out of college. A reminder that I would be found. I would find myself, maybe collage just wasn't where I was supposed to be, that was a year of hard lessons. What stories did she have to tell by the words she had on her body. Like me she also had the outline of what had been an anti possession symbol. She had obviously thought hard about its location. It was near her hip where it might peak above her pants line. ‘Great,’ I thought, ‘so she could at this point in time be possessed.’  
I gently rolled her onto her stomach, so that I could get her back. I saw the slight outline of what may have been wings maybe bird wings. As I covered her back I started mummering some healing chants my mother taught me so long ago. I understood that words have power, so even if they weren't doing anything for her, they were calming my anxiety just saying them. Roughly translated they were simply be healed, be strong, and awake happy. I sort of added the last part. My Latin might have been a little rusty it had been a while since I had used this ability I had forgotten the wonderful high that came from this power flooding through my body. It was weird, I felt like I hadn't used it much after my mother died. I always felt like it was her power and maybe when we were working together it flowed from her capable hands into my shaky and uncertain ones. But for now I didn't care how the power was here but just thankful that it was.   
“Thank you, Mom.” I said grateful that, in spite of our troubles, she would at least help me prevent a untimely death. When I was through applying the salve, I went about applying fresh bandages all the way up her torso stopping as just before her chest, all the way up her legs and arms. I then retrieved a black tank, leggings and hoodie. I didn't feel she would appreciate anything colorful judging by the simplicity of the clothes I had just stripped off of her. When she had been reclothed I took a deep breath. I hadn't done this in so long and I had to be somewhat centered and focused or it wasn't going to work. When I felt ready, I gently laid my palm across her chest I closed my eyes and concentrated on nothing but where I had laid my hand. I was so surprised when I could actually see her strongly beating heart that I almost pulled back, losing all my concentration. “No.” I told myself. “You've done this before. You know it's going to work.”   
I managed to get my focus back and was able to keep going. I noticed that her organs had formed scar tissue. When would I stop wondering how she was still alive. As I probed further I came across her broken ribs... I wondered… I decided to just go for it. Focusing all my concentration into that area. I started nudging at the bones trying to get them to realign. “Come on,” I urged, “come on.”   
I could feel them moving slowly, ever so slowly. Sweat was starting to run from my face to my neck and down my shoulder blades. “Come on!” I screamed in frustration as my back starting to itch. Suddenly, I felt as if a rubber band had been snapped across my brain. The bones of her ribs finally coming together as if being pulled by an elastic. The sharp pain caused my focus to pop like a balloon. I swayed slightly as I felt the power drain out of me through my fingertips.   
‘Well,’’ I thought once the dizziness had subsided, ‘I probably shouldn't try that again for a while.’ I would have to finish with just my own limited knowledge. I already knew her arms and legs were in bad shape, so I reset the bones where I could see bulges.   
When I had finished I checked her over to make sure I had truly done all I could. As my eyes gazed at her face, I noticed she had a gash on her lip I had overlooked. As I put some salve on it and stitched it closed I realized she had a similar gash on her nose. It looked like she had maybe once upon a time had piercings. I, myself, had a similar gash from where I had torn out my own nose ring after a disagreement with my mother. I decided I should probably check her ears as well. Her wounds seemed to be consistent with an industrial on her right side, ‘that one had to hurt so bad,’ and a migraine piercing on the left. She also had holes in both earlobes. I applied the ointment to all these wounds.   
Since I had missed so many the first time around I restarted my examination. I finally had to be able to accept that I had done everything in my power. Exhausted, I lay on the other bed watching her as she slept on. All that I could do now was pray that she woke up soon.With this last hope I let my eyes close and fell asleep.   
When I awoke, I was startled to discover that I was no longer in the dark shabby hotel room I had lain down in. Instead, I was in my own bed back at my apartment. ‘So had I just been dreaming this whole time.’ I sat up and began rubbing the sleep from my eyes, when I suddenly froze as my eyes took in the rose petals littering the carpet. His arms snaked around my torso. It was then that I realized what I was wearing, a white Lace bra patterned with roses and a matching pair of skimpy panties that didn't come much past my butt. My skin tingled as he ran his left hand from just beneath my breast to where my pants would hit if I had been wearing any. It was here I tried to stop him, grabbing his fingers, I tried to pry them away not caring if I broke them. He just laughed loudly and pulled me closer bringing his right arm around where he was holding a thin silver blade that looked like an exacto knife, like a pencil. His hot rancid breath warm on the back of my neck he whispered in a voice that sounded suspiciously like Jesse's, “No need to fret, doll. All I want is your heart.”   
He then forcibly turned me around so I was now facing Jesse’s mangled body. Tears started to prick at my eyes, when suddenly Jesse turned his head so that his chocolate eyes were piercing into my blue then he spoke “Don't worry, Anna, baby, it doesn't hurt.” I couldn't help the tears streaming down my cheeks. My body was paralyzed by fear and he was holding me tight enough that I couldn’t have gotten away even if I had wanted to, so I just watched as the sharp metal instrument come closer and closer. As soon as I feel the cold metal touch my skin I let out a high pitched scream, and thankfully I was back in that shabby motel room.   
I quickly sat up and gulped back the rest of the screams. My heart hammering in my chest and my hands shaking as I covered my face. I needed to get up and do something or I was going to start crying again. I looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand, it was only 8:45 which means I had only been asleep for forty five minutes. My eyes then immediately came to rest on the still unconscious girl. I realized that her hair was still wrapped in a towel. Unraveling the towel, I let loose a cascade of beautiful thick curls of burgundy. Digging through my makeup bag, I found a pick and got to work smoothing out the snarls, while trying to get control of my racing heart rate. I was working through a particularly nasty snarl when I heard the crunch of gravel as a car pulled smoothly up to park. I didn't look up focussing harder on my task as the door of room opened and Sam and Dean walked through.   
“So she's still out,” Dean remarked, as he threw a bag on the bed I had just vacated. It's noise suggesting it was most likely stocked with weapons.   
“She does look a lot better,” Sam observed as he came over and stood next to me. We were standing way closer than I wanted to be, close enough that when I finally was able to get through that snag, I accidently smacked into his arm.   
“I'm so sorry. I....”   
“Anna, it's fine.” He said, chuckling slightly “I guess it's probably safer if I stand over here though.”   
“Yeah maybe.” I answered back, realizing I had probably been making eye contact for longer than necessary when I saw Dean rolling his eyes.   
“Oh I almost forgot,” Sam added as he went to his own bag which he had dropped by the foot of the bed when he had entered. He retrieved a white paper bag which he handed to me. “We brought you back some food. Figured you were probably hungry. Caitlyne made it so it should be to your usual specifications.”   
“Thank you very much.” I said “I'm going to set this on the table until I'm finished.”   
“Anna, go eat. I can finish.” This was one time my face and Dean's agreed on something. “Give me the pick,” Sam said, holding out his hand as I handed it over I noticed a large ugly purple bruise decorating his right forearm.   
“What happened to your arm?” Trying not to sound overly concerned, I wondered if the boys even noticed when they got hurt. They didn't really seem to pay attention to minor annoyances like cuts and bruises. He looked at the unconcious girl before stating, “She’s stronger than she looks. I suspect she could have done worse if she had been at her full strength.”   
“I have something that can help with that.” I responded, as I retrieved the salve I had made earlier. I gently rubbed it around the bruised area of his arm. “Did she get you anywhere else?” I inquired.   
“No.” Sam replied hurriedly, doing his best to avoid eye contact with me. Who knew boys were just as awkward as us girls.  
I knew he was lying but I understood so I put the concoction back in my backpack and watched in fascination as he started from the bottom gently making his way through the curls with strong practiced hands. “I use to do Jessica's hair.” Sam told me as I continued to stare, “and Amelia's.”   
He said both their names with such honor and respect. “Your foods going to get cold.” He said after a few moments of silence. I sat down at a small desk like thing that was pushed up against the wall near the bed where Dean was sitting. After opening the bag and pulling out the cheeseburger, I discovered there was writing on one of the napkins. I pulled it out and read:   
Anna, this one's a keeper. Don't push him away because you think you don't deserve him. Love you girl. Keep in touch. My phone number is in your phone now. I just wanted you to know I'm very offended you had my stupid brother in there but not me. :(   
I smiled to myself as I folded the napkin and slipped into the pocket of my jeans. I let my fingers lay across the smooth denim as I ate my food. When I had finished, I stood and walked back over to Sam who finished working through the girls tangles. “So one of us should keep watch in case..”   
“I will,” I interrupted quickly. Both boys just stared at me. “You two should get some sleep. I'll wake you if she wakes up. “  
“We should take turns.” Sam declared looking at me questionly and maybe with some concern.   
“Sure.” I stated, probably to quickly, “but I'll go first. I took a nap before you guys got here.”   
“Okay,” Dean said yawning as he turned over, and put a pillow over his head. “Wake me when it's my turn.”   
At my insistence Sam went and laid down next to his brother. “I'm setting my watch for 1:30.” He told me, “Just in case you forget to wake me up.”   
‘Damn it!’ I thought as as I watched him settle on his back, his hand laying across his lower abdomen. ‘The boy was good and this was going to be a long night,’ I thought as I pulled out a book and settled in a chair. The way we split the night we each ended up taking a five hour shift but I couldn't sleep. So I ended up just getting up at 6:30. I thought some fresh air might help me clear my head a bit. Sam was asleep and Dean was still on watch when I left. By the time I got back to the room, an hour or so later, Sam was up. He was sitting on the bed and Dean was pacing the length of the room.   
“I brought breakfast,” I said, setting a bag containing three boxes of cereal along with a gallon of milk on the desk. I also placed a bag filled with plastic silverware and paper bowles.   
“I'm a little concerned that she hasn't woken up yet.” Sam said.   
“Are we sure she is even breathing?” Dean asked pausing in his anxious pacing.   
“I don't know.” I answered, stepping forward so I could walk towards the bed. “Well, she’s got some of her color back,” I say, as I reach out to her neck so I can check for a pulse. “Her heart is defiantly beating.” I confirmed. I swear I could feel Dean exhale behind me. ‘Was he seriously holding his breath? Why was he so close behind me?’ Her heart was hammering under my finger tips. I saw her chest rise and her eyes finally opened. I felt a strange tingling start at my fingers and spread its way through my body. Her fierce eye contact pierced through my entire being making it impossible to look away or even move. Because I had nowhere else to look I just watched as gold coloring trickled over her irises and pupils like a waterfall. Panic was making my chest constrict tightly but I couldn't tell if it was hers or mine. I felt as if a magnet was tugging through my abdomen trying to make its way through to my soul. It wasn't painful but it wasn't exactly comfortable either. Her eyes took on a slight glow, the light getting brighter and brighter until it was the only thing surrounding me.  
****  
I heard fuzzy speech before my eyes truly opened. Two separate masculine baritones and one feminine pitched. I couldn’t distinguish the words, but I could hear their vibrations. Scents wafted into my nose as I breathed in the strong aroma of orange blossoms at the beginning of springtime, mountain air in the winter, dandelions, coconut and french vanilla, and hazelnut coffee creamer; freshly chopped wood, pine needles, sea salt, and newly printed paper; coffee beans, Gunpowder, fresh leather, autumn, and cut grass with an added aroma of souring, sickly, rotting fruit, buckets of sweaty cloths, dirt and grit and algae so thick it could be chewed, and hot metal hitting blood which I could almost hear hiss. My eyes flew open as the smell of monsters curled into my nostrils. Staring back at me were those blue gray eyes from before, only now they were more concerned than confronting. I felt my mind slip and my vision clouded in gold.   
Tall trees surrounded me on every side. My boots crunched the leaves beneath me as I ran from the hord following me. Monsters. The smell so strong and completely overwhelming, flooded my senses into a muddled mess. Purgatory, which had drawn me into its clutches many times before now, but never had I been this confused. My mind raced, trying to understand what had caused this chase. I had killed an alpha which had been the being who had killed my older sister. My skirts swooshed around me as I fled through the trees that grabbed at my five year old feet. The thick fabric tangled and ripped, eventually causing me to fall. I desperately scrambled to get up, but was held down by a heavy weight. I cried out in pain and anguish,“Vicky! Vicky!” hot breath exhaled into my left ear, “She’s dead! And we have a day to spare to weddle out what we want to know before you leave.” Sharp claws dug into my scalp causing me to scream. “Why?” My voice broke as blood, thick and hot, dribbled down my face from my injured scalp. “Why?”  
My sight returned in a blur of black and gray. I was on a bed, looking into panicking eyes of blue and grey. Blue and grey. Damn, I was getting tired of seeing these eyes looking at me. I growled and shoved them away from me. The owner of these eyes stumbled backwards as I sat up, feeling a pistol level at my temple, noting my head felt alot less itchy and heavy and my skin felt clean and fresh. New clothes that smelled of blue grey eyes adorned my body. Tight leggings and tank, black.  
“Where?” my voice cracked. I swallowed hard and tried again, “Where am I?”  
“A motel just off Main street, a few blocks away from the Diner. What exactly do you remember?” The man who I had attempted to fight before, inquired of me.  
The man who firmly held the gun to my head shot a look at “Tall man.”   
“I...I…” I swallowed again trying to muster up the liquid I needed to speak. “I don't have to…(swallow)..explain myself to you.”  
“ No, but it would be helpful if we were all aware that we're all on the same side. Here, drink this. I promise I didn't poison it.” Blue grey eyes held out a glass of water. Wearily, I sniffed it and the smell of cool clear liquid filled my nose. I looked to her, shocked that she had not lied. After all, everyone lied to get what they wanted from you.   
I took a sip and the cool liquid coated my throat. With that, I tipped my head back and down the water in one swallow and held the cup back out to her almost greedily. I could feel my desperation seeping off of me, unable to act as though this person did not just give me that which I have been deprived of for five whole, miserable years.  
“More!” It came out as a feral and savage growl.  
Grey blue eyes reached for my glass, but the trigger pointer spoke up before she could take it from me, “wait” he looked pointedly at her, “You can have water only if you answer our questions.”  
I could feel grey blue eyes bristle and glare at trigger pointer. I dropped my arm and calmly replied with a voice as sharp as knives, “Only if you answer mine too.”  
I would not break, that is not what I did or would ever do. I could escape and get more water elsewhere if I really needed to. My bones were almost completely healed and that would make it a lot easier to fight, but...I wanted information. I wanted to know what happened to me and how I got to this two bedded hotel room. For the first time in my entire lifetime, I did not know what had happened to me, and that scared me more than I ever wanted to admit.   
Trigger pointer opened his mouth to argue, but tall man had been studying me and I could tell that he knew I wouldn’t budge, “Okay.” His response was met with trigger pointer’s low growl of disapproval. In response, I felt my own chest respond with a howling growl of power.   
Blue grey eyes, tall man, and trigger pointer looked at me stunned as my teeth snarled around my lips, causing me to cut my growl short and think.  
‘No,’ I told myself, ‘You can’t be that! You can’t be a broken, feral animal! You can’t…’  
I heard a deep growling voice echo around me from an old and rottened little girl. “You’re a monster! Diseased! Feral!”  
I blinked to stop the tears which I refused to let show.  
“What is your question?” I muttered.  
“Where have you been that left you in such a battered condition?” I felt my eyes narrow at blue grey eyes.  
‘So you want to be personal, do you?’ I thought. ‘I’m lucky I can usually tell if people lie.’  
“Kidnapped, tortured, rapped, held for five years, all of the above.” I stated it off handedly and held out the glass for water, “Why does it smell like purgatory in here?”   
Trigger pointer seemed puzzled at first, but flinched at my question. I realised that he most likely did not want to discuss what had happened to him, which I could relate with. He was still fighting, I respected that. However, tall man seemed to recoil and wince at my response obviously sympathetic and horrified by my response. He glanced at trigger pointer when I asked my question telling me that he was close with trigger pointer and was concerned for his response to my question. Grey blue eyes reaction, however, caused my insides to recoil like a snake ready to strike. She was unsurprised and looked at me with an expression that clearly stated that she saw through the reason for my response. My jaw clenched at this and my gaze was cold upon her. She had healed me, she knew too much.   
Trigger pointer dug his pistol further into my skull as grey blue eyes responded, “Hold on you didn't answer my question. I said where have you been, not what happened to give you your wounds.”  
“I don’t honestly know!” It came out through clenched teeth, “I was moved around alot, but I fled from Mexico City about two weeks ago. Are you happy?! Now, water and my answer, if you please!” My venom was spat at grey blue eyes rather than the two men, she was a threat and she would know that I could be vicious.  
Grey Blue eyes took the glass from my hands and I was careful not to let our fingers touch.Tall man stood staring at me in shock and trigger pointer took a breathe and lowered his gun, slowly.  
“I think you already know why, but my question is how?” Trigger pointer replied.  
I looked at him in silence before responding, “You smell like them. You smell like monster’s…”  
Grey blue eyes held out my glass and I gingerly took it looking into my glass with an empty stare. Then I drank it, more slowly than the first.  
“What are your names?” I inquired silently, the fight almost drained out of me at this show of respect from a fellow warrior, “So I can stop calling you Blue Grey Eyes, Trigger Pointer, and Tall Man.”  
“ My name is Anna, the tall one is Sam and trigger pointer, I like that one, is his brother Dean.” Blue grey eyes answered.  
Sam smirked and Dean glowered at her comment. I opened my mouth to ask them what happened and how I got here, but realised, it’s there turn. I closed my mouth again and cleared my throat before stating, “It’s your turn. I stick by my deal.”  
“ Before you woke up I saw your eyes flash gold, why do they do that? Are you even human?”Anna inquired in the silence that followed. Dean and Sam looked at her in shock and their wariness of me increased.  
‘Shit shit shit shit, Rea! How do you even explain that? Ohhhh yeah….that… You see I am really really old and I get these flashback that relate to a situation to help me when I die again….Like really! God, I hate you!’ I took a breath trying to calm myself, running my fingers through my hair and gripped it at the top before letting go, my curls bounced back to their tangled heaps.  
“I can’t exactly explain that...but yes, I am human, I’m just not….normal human?” ‘Fuck!’I thought, now I’m just stuttering… “You didn’t...um touch me at all when that occured did you?” I was really starting to hate her.  
“No, I was leaning over you to make sure you were still breathing, but I wasn't touching you.” Anna’s response was calm, but I heard her breath catch slightly and I had to force myself to respond with a complete poker face, something I mastered many lives ago.  
“Good. It can cause the person to see things that aren’t real. My eyes turn gold when I suffer from pain mostly but I really can’t explain why.” The lie of my own came off smoothly, “What happened at the diner? Did the spectre get burned or do you still think I was chanting something?”  
“Yes, the ghost was salted and burn, but how did you know that is was there so fast?” Dean responded.  
“It told me. It might not have meant to, but just by being in my area, it had to tell me. What happened after you brought me here?” my question was aimed at Sam, “How long was I out?”  
“You've been out for nearly a day and a half, we weren't even positive you were still alive.” Sam glanced curiously at Anna.  
“Sam and Dean we're kind enough to get me some supplies so I could do my best to fix you up.” Anna continued for him.  
“Well, thanks for that I guess, but are we done here? Can I actually leave without a cause for violence?” My stomach growled at me, desperately wanting food. If I could just leave then I could take care of that. However, at the word violence, Dean began to raise his gun again. Quickly, I turn to look him dead in the eye, “I wouldn’t do that again.” My voice low. I was strong enough to fight now, water and rest had insured that and I was getting really tired of having the bloody gun pointed at me. If I had to, I would take it from him and crumple the end.  
Dean didn’t seem to care though, the warning in my voice just causing him to raise it faster. My hand snatched forward and I gripped the muzzle pulling it from his hand. I opened the cartridge and took the bullets from it, tossing the gun back at the floor near his feet and sprinkling the bullets with it. I knew that all their eyes would catch was the gun going from his hand to the floor with the cartridge in my hand, so the look of surprise on their faces at the swiftness of my movement did not shock me. I was used to it.  
“You’re lucky I didn’t break it.” My eyes were still locked onto those eerily beautiful green ones. “It’s a magnificent piece, would have been a shame to crush it.”  
Dean’s mouth hung open making him look like a fish out of water as he tried to form words but was too stunned to do so. Sam took a cautious step away from me looking as if I was about to pounce on him and rip him apart. Anna almost seemed to smile at my growling midsection and responded, “Maybe we should continue this discussion over food. That will at least keep us all seated and civil. We all just need to calm down.” She looked at Dean.   
Anna was, I realised, trying to keep the peace, even though she had just received a terrible loss. I did not know what happened but the tightness around her eyes and her harsh and sporadic questions helped me to better understand that she was in emotional distress. My stomach growled again, this time loud enough for even the boys to hear.   
“Yes! Please! Food and coffee would be great!” My voice was strangely sincere which I believed had shocked everyone.   
“All right then, it's settled let's go find food, anywhere but Lauren’s Grill and Cafe.” Anna declared.  
“There is actually a small joint about two town over. Really really amazing food! Nice and juicy steak, mashed potatoes, grilled smoked asparagus…” my eyes glazed over slightly.  
“Steak! Hell yes!” Dean smiled as we headed out the door.   
“Right! Food is the best! Meat! Meat is great!” I started to smile but stopped, ‘No….don’t….you can’t get attached! It’s only food...But it’s food..’  
“By the way I have one more question…..” Anna started.  
“Just one?” I snarked.  
“For now,” she smirked, “what's your name?”  
My name was such a hard thing. I could hear my father’s voice echo in my mind, ‘You might have your mother’s name, but you will always be my little Rae. My beaming ray of sunshine.’   
I could hear my voice come out in a rasping whisper, “Rae. My name is Rae.”  
As we walked out the door, Anna shut it behind me and my heart shutter in my chest. The faded brass number on the door read 5.   
“Well, Rea, where's that dinner?” I heard Dean ask me but my eyes stayed glued to the number on the door.   
‘Why the fucking hell did it have to be 5’ I thought and accidentally whispered out loud, “What kind of sick joke is this, God?”  
Anna heard me and looked at the number, “ Rea, are you okay?” She inquired.  
“I'm fine!” I snapped, turning on my heel to stride to the beautiful Chevy Impala that the two brothers were waiting at.  
'Nice wheels.’ I thought, 'Too bad I didn't have mine…’ my thoughts went wistfully to my own baby in Kansas.  
“It's in Norvull. Not to far from here.” I told Dean in response to his earlier question.  
Sliding into the back seat, I saw my reflection in the rearview mirror. Stitches ran up my lip where my piercing had been, but it was no longer required. As Anna slid into the seat next to me, she held out a pair of socks and a pair of brown boots that she had been wearing earlier. As I slid them on, I silently slid a knife from her black boots she now wore and slid it up my sleeve of the black hoodie I had been clothed in. Once the car had started I pulled the knife from my sleeve and, looking into the rear view mirror, I slid the knife between my lip and stitch and cut the stitches from my lip. I flipped the knife around in my hand so I gripped the blade and held the hilt out to Anna.   
“Your knife.” I stated. Pulling the rest of the frayed stitches from my lip as I held it to her.  
“You could have just asked.” She sounded slightly irritated.  
“Yes, but would you have given it to me?” I retaliated cooly.   
The boys looked uneasy with me having a weapon in my hand as they drove down the road. Without another word, Anna took the knife from me and slid it back into her boot. Continuing in this silence until I pointed out the steak house from the back seat behind Dean in the driver's. Mentally preparing myself before I pushed myself from the car and into the door ahead of everyone.  
When we entered the steak house, my mouth filled with sticky hungry saliva. It was near empty when we entered as it was between dinner and closing. The waitress came up to us and ask, “Just the four of you tonight?” She looked tired and worn down. Her white hair was braided and lay across her shoulder. Right where the braid ended, a pin stuck to her red work shirt, stating that her name was Victoria. She looked at me curiously and dawning seemed to light her eyes, but I slightly shook my head.   
“Yes, ma’am.” Sam declared.  
She led us to a back booth and gave us the menus, “Just wave to me whenever your ready to order.”  
“I’ll have the….” I started, but Victoria finished, “24oz new york stripped medium rare steak with a loaded baked potato and coffee, black.”  
Every set of eyes looked at me, disconcerted, “I’ve been here before, it was a while back. I used to live here, a long time ago.”  
“Okay?” Sam drew out. “I’ll have a medium well steak with garlic mashed potatoes and water, please.”  
Anna and Dean still looked at me curiously, but hesitantly began to order, “Rare t-bone with the stuffed hashbrowns and coffee, also black” Dean declared.  
Anna still watched me and I could tell that she knew that I hadn’t said the complete truth but eventually went back to ordering, “Well done new york strip with a side salad and dr.pepper, thanks.”  
“Of course, I’ll get that right out to you.” She smiled but I could see the sadness behind it.  
“If you guys will excuse me for a moment, no, I’m not leaving,” I assured them as Dean and Sam had began to stand to head me off, “I just need to fix things, but I want food so I’ll be right back.”  
With that, I turned and followed Victoria to the back where only employee’s were allowed. She turned around after she had rung it up for the chef and said, “So how long since…” She looked away, unable to finish the sentence.   
I couldn’t help but turn her old and weathered face back to look at me with a gentle finger, tears in my eyes, “Well, I turned thirty a month ago, but you seem to be doing well. I’m glad you were able to get out of the mob. I had a feeling you would keep your promise, I’m so sorry that I never got to say goodbye.”  
She broke down in tears and pulled me into a hug, “I never forgot! I always loved you, Audrea!”  
I gripped her back, tightly, “I loved you too, Tori! But death can be an ending and this is no beginning just an official goodbye.”  
She pulled back and look into my eyes, “I know” she brushed a tear from my cheek. “Are you happy?”  
My heart wrenched in my chest, “You know I can’t answer that…”  
Her eyes roamed my healing body, “I see you haven’t been able to take better care of yourself this time around.”  
“How are you though?”I inquired.  
“I have two grandchildren,” She smiled lightly, “They’re the joy of my life.”  
“Good.” I replied, “I should be getting back…”   
I turned to go but she stopped me by say, “I will never forget what you did for me.”  
Gold flooded my vision, then I was sitting in an interrogation room, a man with thick black hair and a scraggly beard sat across from me. The gun was resting on the table between us, one single bullet in its barrel.   
“So, are we in agreement? I win, you realise Tori from her contract, you win, she has to live it out.” I spoke calmly.  
“Not exactly a fair arrangement.”He replied gruffly.  
“Fine, if you win Tori’s contract decreases to five years instead of ten….and I’ll give you the coordinates to my stash.”  
He smiled, “You’re that desperate to save your girlfriend here aren’t you. Very well, but write it down first.”   
Another man brought me a pen and paper to write down the coordinates to one of my less lethal or secretive stash of all things supernatural and put it on the table face down.   
“Ready?” He smiled at me.   
“Audrea, please, you don’t have to do this!” Tori begged of me, her auburn hair was long and swung about her beautifully curvy figure.  
“Yes, I do.” I pulled her to me, kissing her deeply and passionately, pouring my very soul into the soft, tender, needing mouth that met mine. Shivers ran through me as her tongue caressed my lower lip before parting.  
I took up the gun and spun the barrel, pointed to my temple and pulled the trigger. The gun clicked and I slid it over to the man across from me. He licked his lips nervously, then pulled the trigger. With a click he let out a sigh of relief and held it back out to me. My heart hammered in my ears. If I lost, so many secrets would be at the mercy of these demons. The only difference between Tori’s deal with them was that instead of getting what she wanted before she died, she would do their bidding until her contract ended and then she would get her wish, her own restaurant, handed to her. Her assignment had been me, but she was foolish and so was I. Falling in love was dangerous. I pulled the trigger and…..nothing. I calmed my breathing and handed the pistol back. The bullet had a crafted metal that would kill a demon, which made the game just as high risk for Lilith as it was for me. He/she pulled the trigger and nothing happened. The rounds only had five and we had gone through four. I swallowed, Lilith smiled and Tori screamed as I grabbed the gun, put it to my head, and pulled the trigger. Pain exploded inside of my head, my brain going to mush as if the bullet had explode once it hit.   
My vision return, “You knew it was me because of my eyes didn’t you?”  
Tori nodded, “Yours are unique.”  
Then I turned and left, back to the table, back to now.  
****  
The curtain of light around my vision finally began to fade to reveal my surroundings. Which I had very little time to take in before my senses were hijacked by the smell of some concoction of rotting fruit, blood on scorched metal, sweat soaked cloth, and just dry gritty grime.   
This suffocating atmosphere nearly kept me from realizing that wherever I was I wasn't alone. Looking around the forest of trees I couldn't see anybody but there was a presence and it was stronger than mine. Before I could figure anything out further I was hit with overwhelming confusion. My legs began moving without me telling them too. Why was I running. Images flashed through my mind as if on a projector, it felt as if my brain was trying to help me remember facts for an upcoming exam. Like I knew about the revolutionary war and the horrors of the holocaust but I hadn't personally lived through them myself. That's how I felt. I was getting flashbacks of memories and experiences that I should have remembered but I didn't. It was making my headache. I was still running I could feel branches scraping at my legs and bare feet. Why was I being chased. A blurb of thought acting as kind of subtitle made its way across my brain’s screen. I had killed an alpha who had killed my older sister.  
But no that couldn't be right because I … I didn't have an older sister. Before I could contemplate further I felt the thick fabric of my skirts tangle on a nearby branch causing me to trip and stumble to the ground. I Knew I couldn't stay there for long. I had to get up I didn't know why but, I didn’t have long. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't get back to my feet. I felt like I was trapped under something heavy. It was then that I knew I could truly hit no lower I used my anguish and utter despair to call out Vicky vickey, my lips forming a name I knew I had no previous connection to. But I wasn't in control, and at that moment she was all that mattered The sense of loss I felt consumed everything. Though I already knew she was gone. There was obviously someone who delighted in my pain and grief and his voice was there to remind me. His words echoing around my brain as if being played through a High school intercom. “She’s dead! And we have a day to spare to weddle out what we want to know before you leave.” I let loose a blood curdling scream as I felt sharp claws dig into my scalp. “Why?” why I repeated softly,   
“Why what?” a voice inquired. He sounded different, no longer menacing almost as if he was a different person.   
“Anna, why what?” He repeated. Now he sounded slightly concerned. He reached his hand out to cover mine. Startled I jerked back pulling my hand away, before my head finally registered Sam and Dean’s faces. It took me a few seconds more to realize that I wasn't there anymore. Whatever had happened when I had checked Rea’s pulse back at the motel had stopped as quickly as it started. I had tried to just shake it off. Rea herself said that those events were not real. Deep down, I didn't believe her. I had felt her pain, panic, desperation and grief and even now the events felt so real I felt like I could still feel blood trickling down my face but when I reached up I already knew there wouldn't be any. To hide my paranoia I pretended to tuck a stray piece of hair behind my ears.   
Sam was still looking at me as if he were waiting for an answer, but he hadn't asked a question... had he?   
“What!?” I finally asked I was starting to fidget and my neck began to itch. He was making me nervous.   
“Nevermind.” He answered, turning away from me so he was facing the other customers. Great now I had managed to piss off the only person in this group who didn’t seem to mind my company. I double checked my surroundings reminding myself that I was a at a diner by my own suggestion if I remembered correctly. It had been such a long day. I rubbed at my eyes with both knuckles trying to wake myself up.   
We sat in silence for a few moments more. “So what now?” I asked, kind of surprised that I would be the one to break the silence.   
“We eat and we go our separate ways.” Dean answered decidedly. Was it really that easy for him. Just like that. I tried not to let my emotions show on my face. It took me a moment before I had the mask firmly in place, and I was glad Sam was still facing away. He seemed to be have a talent for picking up on facial cues that his brother seemed oblivious to. So be it. I wouldn’t miss Dean WInchester. It was nice to see Sam but I knew we would eventually forget each other, well maybe not quite forget but he would trickle to the back at least. More like I prayed. Rea, she was intriguing, if there was even the slimmest chance we could be friends there are so many things I would want to ask her, but I knew that wasn't possible. She hated me. I could tell from the glares she kept throwing me during our Q and A session back at the motel. She, like Dean, thought I was annoying and Naive that I didn’t possess a fighting spirit. They were wrong but it looked as if I wouldn’t get the chance to convince them otherwise.  
This shouldn’t really bug you I thought even though I knew that my body language suggested that it obviously did. I looked down to find that my fists were clenched and my back hurt from the board like position it had been holding for far to long.   
I took a deep breath forcing my muscles to relax. I unclenched my fists and forced my tight lips into what I hoped resembled a smile. “Sounds simple enough.” I said trying to sound as natural as possible. Seriously why was this so hard. I decided that I was I was probably just tired, and for me this case wasn’t really over. I needed to get far away from here he was hot on my trail which met I had probably been in one place for to long. I wondered why I was so scared just to face him. I was tired of this game of cat and mouse. He killed Jesse and for that he would pay dearly.   
Thankfully, I was interrupted from this angry tirade of thoughts when Rea slid smoothly into the booth beside me.   
“So... whatcha guys talking about?” She asked glancing at each of us in turn.   
“We’re not.” I answered she seemed a little surprised by this. “We seem to have collectively decided to eat and go our separate ways.”  
“Sounds good to me.” she said, “does this mean we're done with our game of twenty questions?”  
“I guess so.” I snarked, “congratulations, your of the hook.” I didn’t know why I had suddenly turned into a bitter, sarcastic bitch. Surely I wasn’t going to miss these assholes. Before I had time to psychoanalyze myself further our food arrived. I should have been able to dig in, It had been a while since I had actually put any food in my stomach, but I had lost my appetite what the hell was wrong with me.   
We finished our meal in silence. While I mostly picked at my steak but managed most of the salad. Before anybody could say anything I reached into my backpack and pulled from my wallet a large wad of cash. I didn’t bother counting it whatever was over they could keep it in tips I really just wanted to be out of that diner. Before I could bolt I told myself to slow down. I shouldn’t hurry this because I would be by myself soon enough and as stupid as it sounded I really did want to properly say goodbye to Sam. I walked with him back to the Impala.   
“So..” I said right before he could open his door, “you have my number now, should you need my help, well... you know…”  
“I’ll call.” Sam promised the tension that had kept us silent and sullen in the diner finally ebbing away.   
“Thanks, Anna.” His lips finally creeping to form his beautiful smile.   
“Your Welcome,” I replied finally smiling back. I couldn’t let him leave yet. It felt a little like a scene from a cheesy chick flick but at this point I was just going for it. I would never see him again so our next moments really didn’t matter.   
“Thank you for... you know…” I couldn’t go there yet,or maybe I was just avoiding that topic for now, l looked up at him desperately hoping he understood what I just couldn’t bring myself to say.   
He nodded understanding forming a bridge between our minds. “Yea.” he answered, “No problem,” could he feel it too he hurriedly looked down at the cracked asphalt, and as he broke eye contact I felt the bridge collapse, ‘that was so weird’ I thought. “What just happened there?” ‘It felt as if I could have understood Sam’s mind as if in a way it completed my own kind of how one might describe a soulmate in one of those gushy fanfics I used to read in my late teens, okay sometimes I still read them.’  
“Take care of yourself.” He mumbled still looking at the ground.   
“Uhh Yeah,” I responded in a near whisper. “You too..” Really? Is that really all I was going to say? Fine then I guess I could leave now it wasn’t perfect but as far as endings go that wasn’t the worst.   
As I turned to make my way away from the impala I heard Rea shouting as she ran towards us, “They’re here!” she screamed, yanking open the back door of the impala. “Hurry! Get in!” She told me “There’s no time to explain! We have to get out of here now!” I made no arguments just quickly followed into the backseat after her. As we sped away I couldn't stop the smile, even though we were being chased by a hoard of monsters and I could potentially die, I was glad the adventure could continue. Not that I would ever tell that to any of them. At least not right not now. someday though I had a feeling that I would thank Rea.

  
****  
I felt replenished after inhaling my food and every wound on my body had closed, leaving only thick scar tissue in their wake. No objections would come from me, as I shovelled in the food, but my stomach churned in retaliation. I was only able to eat half the stake before my stomach told me to stop. Anna threw a wade of cash on the table and started to stand but stopped herself, before sitting back down. Her thoughts seemed elsewhere and I hoped to...well not God...We weren’t exactly on good terms since 1220...I just hoped she wasn’t dwelling on that scene she had seen in my brain. My heart ached a fresh as I remembered that day in my mind. One of my happiest lives, but also the shortest. My life with my older sister Victory was short, but common as she had taught the sweet, young, innocent child to hunt and scavenge. Memories still flickered through my brain. I could feel my eyes flickering with gold, so I stood and began to make my way out, barely recognized as the others trail behind me. I turned from the road house dinner and headed southeast, towards more desert, but would eventually take me to a fishery near the mexican gulf coast.   
I felt better knowing I was finishing this whole group chat. I hated talking to people. It was better to be quiet and watch, but I was also too snarky to keep quiet. I could distantly hear Anna speaking with Sam, as I inhaled the fresh air. Almost as if a boulder had pounded into my chest, I gasp and choked on the scent that filled me. Monsters. Lots of them.  
‘Stupid, Rea! You slept to long, stayed to long! They’ve caught your scent, so many of them…’ I wanted to run and leave these hunters or wannabe’s behind, but the caring side of me skirted away from that thought, ‘Damn it, ubuchopho bami!’ I self scolded.  
Then turning to run back to, what I had concluded to be, Dean’s impala, I yelled, “They’re here!” I jerked open the impala door and looked straight at Anna, “Hurry! Get in!” Then to a confused and irritated Dean, “There’s no time to explain! We have to get out of here now!”   
On some level I could tell Dean wanted to question me, but he also sensed the urgency. I crawled in back before Anna and Dean spun out of the lot at full speed. Only after driving at 80mph for five miles did Dean slow and glanced at me in the rear view mirror, “What was going on!?”   
“Oh! I don’t know! Maybe the overwhelming smell that still lingers on you! Or wait! I know! It was just a fantom elossion! The hell do you think it was! There is a whole kuradi varandus of monsters tailing us, you ebatõenäoline, tebal menuju, ek daraavanee beta!” anger causing the merging of Estonian, Malay, and Gujarati with my english.  
“Maybe now is not the time.” Sam stated and turned in his seat to look at me, “besides, I’m pretty certain no one understood what you said.”  
“Oh for the hak khongphrachao!” I swore in Lao, “ I said that there is a whole hoard of monsters tailing us, like huge hoard as in...probably two hundred.”  
“ You can tell that just by the smell of the air!” Dean exclaimed in outrage.  
“Yeah, jebem ti!” This time in Bosnian, “ I can! If you doubt me, feel free to stop and be eaten!”  
Dean looked as if he was about to test just what I said, but Sam glanced past me and exclaimed, “Dean!” He looked back along with the rest of us. The sky had faint pinpricks of something large on wings, “Dragons..” Anna whispered.  
“Fine! Me and Sammy will do shift on the driving for a while, put some distance between us and ...all of them. Then one night at a hotel and we split ways, agreed?” Dean made it sound like a command rather than a question.  
“Fine by me,” My voice was a low growl, “I never asked to be dragged in with a couple of hunters as yourself.”  
Dean opened his mouth to retort but Sam gave him a look that clearly stated, let it be. We drove in silence, I watched the sky fade and brighten, not closing my eyes for a moment. Anna had hunkered down in the corner away from me, which I was perfectly fine with and Dean and Sam switched seats on and off. The other dozing lightly, while the other drove. I couldn’t wait to ditch them after the soft welcoming bed of a crummy motel room. Only five more hours, then you can sleep and leave. I told myself repeatedly throughout the two day drive. Five. I could relate with that number. It was both familiar and painful, hated and yearned. Five. Only five to protect the world.


End file.
